


Burning Bridges

by orphan_account



Category: Mother 3
Genre: 50 word challenge, AU, Angst, Brotherly Fluff, Claus being an overprotective dork, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post Game, Romance, Theme chapters, Twincest (only in some chapters), silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5729650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of themed oneshots about our favorite twins! Ch. 7: Freak—"You're an amazing person. You're so strong. You've come so far. You've overcome so many obstacles...and if people think that makes you a freak, they're wrong. That makes you human." Claus finally met the icy blue of Lucas' eyes. They showed nothing but warmth and appreciation for him. "You're not a freak, Claus. You're just human. Remember that." AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, welcome! Before we start I'd like to remind you that this is a post-game AU where Claus comes back to life. I will summarize briefly the situation with the twins here: Claus and Lucas are living together once more after Claus was brought back to life about a year ago. They're around 16/17 and living on their own. Flint and Boney have passed away (Flint due to stress of losing both Hinawa and Claus and Boney of old age). Claus still has the mechanical arm/prosthetic Dr. Andonuts made for him three years prior. Claus also still has his mechanical eye, but he covers it up with an eyepatch. Kuma, Duster and Fuel come to hang out with them occasionally!
> 
> Now, these oneshots will vary in length and also time period--I'll most likely write these whenever I'm in the mood to, so there's no definite update date. So please don't come bugging me about posting another chapter. This is supposed to be a way to release stress on my end. The chapters will come along as I feel like writing them! Anyway, one chapter may take place in the current time or in the past. There's definitely gonna be some about the commander, because I have a strong attachment to the nerd. ;D
> 
> Basically, this is supposed to be like a 50 word challenge, but I'm writing chapters instead of sentences. All of the words I use came from a random word generator. I just chose the ones I liked best and went from there. There's no guarantee that I'll actually end up writing all 50 planned chapters, but I'll certainly try!
> 
> Sorry for the long intro--the rest of these chapters will have shorter ones, I promise!  
> Well, hope you enjoy!

Theme: Pain

The rain pattered gently against the roof of the warm house, the sounds slightly dulled by the walls on all sides. It had been going steadily for the past two days, making it hard to go anywhere without being soaked to the bone. Most people tended to stay inside and curl up by their fireplaces, but Lucas wasn't one of those people. Despite the dreary weather and the intense storm warnings from Leder, he'd gone out shopping because they were in dire need of supplies. He'd taken an umbrella and stepped out into the damp air, cheerily stating he'd return within a few hours or so. Claus had watched him go wearily, waving goodbye as he disappeared into the gloom.

He wasn't concerned all too much about Lucas' well-being; over time he had learned that his blonde twin could take care of himself. Besides, there wasn't much to be afraid of nowadays anyway—Porky was gone and the Pigmasks had blended into society after his downfall. The dragon had disappeared after being awakened, and finally the Nowhere Islands were at peace. No, Claus was weary for an entirely different reason, and he desperately hoped something would keep Lucas out for a little while longer.

All of the lights were out, leaving the house shrouded in darkness. Claus was curled up on the couch, gently massaging his arm where skin met metal. Whenever it rained, the area around his prosthetic arm started to ache, and this time it was particularly painful. A soft hiss escaped the chimera's lips as he rubbed his arm, hoping the pain would subside soon, at least enough that he could cover it up and smile through it without having Lucas notice. He hated it when Lucas worried about him; as if he didn't have tons of other things to deal with already.

The stress of being a teenage hero certainly bore down on him, along with all of the death and sadness he'd experienced way too young. Hinawa, Flint and Boney were all gone now, leaving the twins to themselves. Claus almost preferred it this way—not that he didn't miss his parents and pet, no, he missed them desperately, but he knew they were gone and wouldn't return. Besides, it had always been him and Lucas, ever since they were young. He was fine living like this. Lucas had always been beside him, and that was the way he liked things. Lucas was all he really needed now.

A crack of lightning lit up the sky, and Claus flinched violently. He peered out the window and frowned, worry glittering in his eyes as the storm began to pick up. Lucas hated lightning. Claus wasn't very fond of it either. It reminded them both too much of what happened three years ago...

Claus hoped he was alright, wherever he was. He just prayed that there were people beside him to watch over him. Lucas tended to get panic attacks whenever lightning appeared and Claus wasn't around to comfort him.

His concern was interrupted when the ache around his prosthetic suddenly flared up to an unbearable burning. It felt as if fire were licking around the edges of the metal, searing his skin, muscles and bones. He released a strangled groan from the back of his throat and tried to cast a healing spell to try to lessen the pain, but he wasn't very good at it. Lucas had always been better with using healing PSI. Claus was more skilled at offense, and Lucas defense. That's just how things were.

Claus whimpered and clenched his teeth together as the pain seemed to only escalate further. His breath started coming out faster and soon he was practically wheezing in agony, writhing about in an attempt to distract himself from the intense burning. Unfortunately this didn't seem to help. What he didn't understand was, why was it so _bad_ this time around? Usually his arm would just ache a bit, making it hard to move properly, but now it was burning him from inside out, sending crashing waves of pain up to his shoulder.

Before he could even try to start concentrating on pushing the pain away, the front door to the house opened. The wind howled loudly outside as a figure stepped in, hurriedly closing the door behind them and squeaking when a loud clap of thunder followed.

Claus cursed inwardly. Shit. This was the worst possible time for his little brother to come home!

"Claus?" Lucas threw his bags down onto the floor and took a few cautious steps forward. His voice trembled. Claus immediately knew the lightning had freaked him out again.

"Yeah, I'm here," he managed to grit out, releasing a silent cry of pain as his arm radiated with an intense burning.

A sigh of relief was what he received. Lucas glanced around curiously and frowned. He approached the couch warily, stumbling in the half-dark.

"Why are all the lights off?"

Claus took a deep breath in preparation to answer without it sounding like he was being strangled.

"Power went out. Dunno when it'll be back on." He grimaced and was grateful for the darkness hiding his expression.

He looked over to Lucas, who was visibly shaking in the dim light. Had the lightning really scared him that badly? Claus took a tentative sniff and immediately realized what was going on. His enhanced senses let him detect the smell of rain that clung to his brother's clothes.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Lucas rubbed his arms and chuckled. "The storm started just as I was leaving the store. I guess I forgot to grab my umbrella. I didn't even notice I was getting wet until I was halfway back."

"H—mmm," Claus hummed, though it came out as more of a startled squeak.

Of course, Lucas picked up on it immediately. When it came to Claus, he always seemed to know when something was up.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, approaching the couch. Before he could make it any further, the sky split open and the room was illuminated with an intensely bright flash. Thunder crashed overhead, making the house rumble.

Lucas yelped and covered his ears in fright. The trembling of his body seemed to become more violent. Claus knew he was reliving the _incident_ from three years ago. He opened his mouth to snap at him and tell him that it didn't matter anymore, but—

His arm started burning again. This time Claus couldn't help the tiny cry of pain that slipped past his clenched teeth.

"C-Claus?" Lucas whimpered.

Claus wheezed and clutched at his arm tightly, willing the pain to fade before his brother found out.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Lucas' voice only continued to raise in volume. His icy blue eyes widened in fear. "Claus! P-please, just—"

He was going to have a mental breakdown if Claus didn't do something. Great. Just great!

He released a frustrated sigh and rubbed at his skin.

"I-it's nothing," he growled out, toes curling as another pang shot up his shoulder.

The blonde stared at him for a long moment before his lips pulled down into a scowl. Claus noted that frowns didn't look good on his sibling, not at all.

"You're lying," Lucas declared, pouting. No matter how good Claus was at deception—he learned enough of it as the commander, after all—Lucas could _always_ see through him. It was almost as if he was a walking talking lie detector.

Even so, Claus really did live up to his stubborn nature. He wasn't going to give in just yet.

"Seriously, I'm okay," he reassured, squeezing his arm so tightly he could feel his circulation being cut off.

"Claus..." Lucas started, frowning worriedly.

"It was the lightning," the redhead supplied quickly, "It just startled me, that's all."

He winced as those crystal blue eyes only narrowed further. It wasn't working.

"Claus, come on," Lucas begged quietly in the darkness. "Please, just tell me what's wrong. I can help you. We never kept secrets from each other like this when we were little."

Something in Claus snapped at that statement.

" _Shut up_ ," he snarled, piercing Lucas with a fierce glare. The blonde backed away, shocked.

Trying to get ahold of his temper, Claus breathed out loudly through his nose and relaxed. "Things have changed. You should know that by now."

He immediately regretted saying that, for Lucas' eyes flashed in hurt. He opened his mouth in an attempt to take it back, but not before his arm started acting up again.

He withdrew into the couch with a groan, shuddering from the pain. Sweat gathered on his forehead and the room started to spin. It wasn't rare for him to get fevers when the weather was like this. Usually he shrugged it off and took a cold bath, but that was not the case this time.

Forgetting the things Claus had said, Lucas darted forward and cupped his brother's cheeks in his palms. He gasped as he saw the sorry state his twin was in—Claus was burning up under his touch, his uncovered eye milky with fever and his face twisted in pain.

How could he possibly have tried to hide this?

"Claus, you're ill," Lucas fretted, patting his brother's face gently. "Tell me what's wrong. I can help you. I have my healing PSI, remember?"

Claus breathed rapidly and shook his head, refusing to accept Lucas' aid.

" _Why_? Why won't you let me help you?" Lucas demanded, holding his struggling twin in place.

"Can't," Claus rasped, the world swaying in front of his eyes, "Already...cause you enough trouble. No more."

At this dizzy response, Lucas softened. A gentle sigh escaped his lips as he pushed Claus' sweaty bangs away from his forehead.

"You idiot," he chastised. "You've always taken care of me...ever since we were born. You've protected me, and cared for me, and looked out for me. Can't you let me do the same for you this time?"

Claus met his gaze, lower lip trembling.

"This time, let me be the one to take care of you," Lucas whispered. "Okay?"

The human chimera bit his lip and looked away. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, and the occasional rumble of thunder outside, he nodded in defeat.

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry."

Lucas grinned in victory.

"Where does it hurt?"

Claus shifted his gaze down to his arm, where he was still clutching at the connection port.

With a tentative smile, Lucas pried Claus' grip off of his arm and leaned in to inspect the damage.

The area looked red and swollen. It was clearly irritating the redhead, enough to make him cry out in pain. With a determined nod, Lucas placed both of his hands on the inflamed area and muttered a quick incantation. The room was illuminated with a bright green glow; it spread from the tips of Lucas' delicate fingers into Claus' arm, soothing the pain and reducing the burning to a more tolerable aching.

Eventually the light faded away, leaving the house dark and quiet once more. Lucas pulled away and wiped the sweat off his brow. It had taken a lot of PSI energy to help Claus recover, but it was worth it.

"Feel better now?" He asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

Claus moved his arm to test it, massaging the area that Lucas had just healed. With an impressed expression and a satisfied grunt, he rolled his shoulder a couple times before deeming it moveable once again.

"Yeah. Thank you."

Lucas beamed at his brother's praise.

"What happened, anyway?"

Claus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He still looked slightly feverish.

"This happens whenever it rains, though it's never been this bad before," he explained. "Usually it's just a dull ache. Annoying, but easily manageable. It's the area right around the connection port. I guess it acted up since the storm is so bad this time."

Lucas listened carefully. A thoughtful look crossed his features.

"When's the last time you've had a checkup on your arm?"

Claus' eyes widened at this, surprised. He gazed down at the metal contraption, lapsing into deep thought.

"...I guess it has been a while," he mumbled. "Not since before the final battle, I'd say. I haven't seen Dr. Andonuts since."

Lucas flinched at the mention of that moment, but continued on nonetheless.

"So you're saying it's been _three years_ since you've had it looked at?"

Claus immediately made a face at him. "It has not! It's more like it's been one year. Since...I came back almost a year ago." His voice became eerily quiet.

Lucas closed his eyes, almost as if he were remembering that exact moment. Then he shook his head, pushing those memories to the back of his mind. There were more important things to worry about.

Gently, he grabbed Claus' normal hand and tugged him up from the couch. The redhead made a noise of confusion as Lucas carefully steered him towards the bed. He pushed the teen's shoulders down until he was resting on top of the pillows, slightly out of breath.

Lucas placed a palm on his twin's forehead.

"Yup, you still have a fever," he confirmed. Claus looked pale and shaky just from that small walk.

Claus opened his mouth to object but Lucas didn't let him say anything more.

"Ah ah ah," he held a finger up, eyes glinting in the dark, "I don't want to hear it. _I'm_ going to be the one to help _you_ this time, remember?"

Claus grinned crookedly, revealing a row of sharp chimera teeth. "Since when did you become so stubborn?"

Lucas snorted and moved to tuck him in, pulling the blankets up to his chest and patting down the sides neatly.

"Since you decided to be," he responded.

Claus' face relaxed, his eyes falling half-mast. He was getting sleepy. The rain was like a soothing lullaby and having Lucas' comforting presence beside him made him calm.

"Thanks, Lucas."

Lucas sighed and gave him a smile.

"Next time, tell me when you're in pain, okay? Don't scare me like that again."

Claus finally closed his eyes and hummed softly in agreement.

"Goodnight, Claus."


	2. Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains mild swearing and mentions of underage drinking. Seriously, don't drink if you're not the proper age. Please. In fiction it's fine, but real life can be dangerous.  
> Also, this is not really a warning but more of a heads up, this chapter also contains tons of brotherly fluff, which I'm sure the majority of you will enjoy. I promise that the twins' relationship will always remain platonic, family love--unless you want me to write a twincest chapter, which I will gladly do (since LuClau is my OTP hahhhah //sweats nervously). But unless you request for it, they'll just stay brothers, and that's it!
> 
> Okay, well, I think that's it! Hope you enjoy!

Theme: Competition

"Ready, set, go!"

Duster waved the make-shift flag, and Lucas and Fuel shot off like rockets, their laughter ringing through the air as they plunged down the hill.

The day was bright and balmy, perfect for doing activities outside. The whole of Tazmily were enjoying the fresh air and faint breeze, and the twins were no exception. After seeing the entire village having great fun, whether it be playing games, drinking (in the adult's...and Kumatora's case), or watching the rest making the most of the sunny weather, Lucas practically dragged Claus outside, telling his older twin it would be good for him to get out and about at least once in a while.

Contrary to Lucas' hopes, Claus lived up to his recently withdrawn nature and stuck to his twin like glue. He made conversation with the people around town when needed be; otherwise, he avoided everyone's gazes and followed Lucas quietly and dutifully. Lucas couldn't understand why his brother couldn't just open up. He understood how strange it was to walk around a town that thought you dead for three long years, but most people had grown accustomed to Claus' reappearance, the pointing and staring having ceased months ago. It was almost as if they'd swapped roles. Lucas was now the more outgoing and cheerful of the pair, always willing to say hello and brighten up his fellow townspeople's lives, while Claus only seemed to grow even more self-conscious around them, preferring to keep his mouth shut and never leaving his twin's side. It was so much different than when they were kids...

Claus' eyes followed the path Lucas was currently sprinting down from the top of the hill. Duster stood beside him, chuckling as he also watched the progress of the race. It was a dare Fuel had started, and Lucas was eager to test his skills against the brunette, so off they went.

"Aren't you going to join them, Claus?" Duster questioned, fixing the teen with a friendly smile.

Claus shrugged. "I wouldn't think it fair. I've been enhanced for situations like these, so it would practically be cheating."

It was true—he still had all of the capabilities and functions he'd had as a human chimera serving Porky three years ago, which included his enhancements and certain body parts that were mechanical. He'd much rather stay out of any sort of competitions his brother might want to drag him into.

He used to love competing as a child, but not anymore.

"It's not really about winning," Duster pointed out kindly. "They're just having fun."

Claus shrugged again, unable to provide a response this time. For some reason he could no longer find joy in such simple things. Part of him still wanted to keep the strict and uptight attitude he'd had as the commander. It was hard to let go of it, even though he desperately wanted to.

"Oh, look!" Duster pointed to the edge of town, where Lucas had collapsed in a sweaty heap. "I guess Lucas won."

Concern crossed Claus' features at the motionless figure of his twin. Without even thinking, he took a plunge down the hill and raced through town.

He zigzagged through the small groups of people scattered about and eventually reached the ending point of Lucas' race track, where the blonde was taking in huge gulpfuls of air, Fuel doing the same right next to him.

He crouched down and peered curiously at Lucas' face. Gently, he patted his brother's cheek with his metal hand, being careful not to catch any of his twin's hair between his fingers. Lucas sighed and leaned into his touch gratefully; Claus' hand was cool and soothing to the touch.

"You alright?" Claus asked, fighting to keep the worry out of his voice.

Lucas gave him a huge, toothy grin. "I'm great! I won!"

"Barely," came the exhausted comeback from Fuel.

Lucas snickered and turned to face his friend. "That'll be 20 DP, please and thank you!"

Fuel groaned and dug into his pocket, grudgingly depositing the amount into Lucas' open palm.

"I regret making a bet in the first place," he mumbled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Lucas sat up and pushed half the coins into Claus' hand.

"Ms. Caroline has a stand up with some of her goods, I think," he said, eyes sparkling. "We can each get something now!"

Claus raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't want to spend your money."

Lucas rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Don't be so modest. You had an important role in this race, so you get half the credit."

Claus chuckled and helped his twin to stand. "And what's that?"

Lucas beamed at him, bright as the sun itself. "You cheered me on! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have won!"

The redhead stared at him for a moment before smiling— _actually_ smiling.

Lucas' face lit up and he pointed at his brother's rosy cheeks.

"Ah! A real one! How rare!" He noticed, bouncing in excitement. "You only smile like that when we're at home with nobody else around."

Claus, upon realizing his smile had drawn the attention of Fuel and several other townspeople around him, scowled and blushed deeply, making Lucas giggle to himself.

"Har har har," he drawled sarcastically. "You think you're so funny."

"Awww, come on! You know I love you," Lucas laughed, throwing an arm around Claus' shoulders.

"You'd better," Claus teased, "or else my heart would break."

" _Noooo_! I wouldn't allow that!" Lucas declared before promptly jumping on his twin's back.

Claus yelped and almost toppled over with the sudden addition of Lucas' weight, but quickly straightened himself out...and began to spin around in circles as quickly as he could.

"Oh—Claus! Sto—dizzy! Eeek! I'm gonna fall offfff!" Lucas squealed, holding on for dear life.

"What is this, some kind of make Lucas sick contest? Or, wait—are we playing chicken?! I want in on that!"

Claus stopped abruptly, making Lucas almost flip right off his back, but the blonde managed to get a grip on his brother's shoulders the last second.

The voice they had heard was Kumatora's, with Duster right behind her, and from the looks of it, she was pretty drunk. Still, not a lot of people could hold their liquor as well as she could, except for maybe Lucas—for when they'd celebrated New Year's the year before at Osohe Castle, Kumatora had brought all tons of drinks and insisted the twins try it at least once. Lucas had lasted a while, more than Duster or Claus could handle. The two were awful drinkers, and fell prey to the alcohol's affects quite quickly. Claus had turned into a flushed, babbling mess before promptly passing out on the kitchen floor, Duster following him not too long after. Fuel had a few before stopping to watch Claus and Duster's demise, along with waiting to see if Lucas would share the same fate, but the blonde was surprisingly sober for having a few drinks. After a couple more hours, Lucas had bid the others a polite goodbye before piggybacking his twin home.

"We're not playing chicken," Claus said immediately, setting his twin down on the grass. Lucas held his head for a moment before shaking the nausea off.

"Aww, lame! Why the hell not?!"

"Because I don't trust any of you," Claus muttered, razing them all with a suspicious glare.

"Hey, stop being a spoil sport," Lucas complained, pinching Claus' cheek. The chimera squeaked and shoved him off.

"He's right, you know. You haven't participated in anything all day!" Fuel added, crossing his arms.

"At least pick something else! Chicken can get pretty dangerous. I don't want anyone to get hurt," he finished with a look at Lucas, to which the blonde smiled fondly.

"Then let's _arm wrestle_!" Kumatora shouted, gaining the attention of some of the townsfolk.

"An arm wrestling contest, eh?" Bronson asked, eyes sparking with interest.

"Hell yeah! I'll kick your sorry ass, ginger!" The pink-haired woman declared confidently, smirking at Claus.

"Oh no," Lucas whispered.

"What did you say about me?!" The teen flared up defensively, baring his sharp teeth.

"He took the bait," Fuel laughed. Lucas sighed and shook his head hopelessly. Claus was usually the center of Kumatora's teasing, and this time was no exception.

"Let's go! You and me! You don't stand a chance!" Kumatora flexed an arm muscle while Duster watched on, amused.

Bronson brought over a table and set it up in the center of the field, while several other people pitched in to help, setting up chairs on either side. Claus ground his teeth together and took a seat, glaring fiercely at his newfound rival. Kumatora grinned cheekily at him.

Soon enough the table was surrounded by excited onlookers, and the majority of them were already placing bets on who would win. Fuel massaged Kumatora's shoulders while Lucas simply carded a hand through his twin's hair, the best form of comfort he could provide at the moment.

"Here's the rules—one round, whoever manages to make the other's arm touch the table first wins, and no PSI allowed, got it?" Bronson said, and the two nodded.

Fuel scooted over to where Claus was seated and leaned in to murmur something in Lucas' ear.

"Who do you think will win?"

The younger brother shrugged. "Who knows. They're both pretty tough in their own right, but I think Claus has the advantage."

Fuel blinked in surprise. "Why's that?"

"They're both right-handed," the blonde explained, "and Claus' right hand is metal. He probably has more strength in that arm, since I think it was improved that way to allow him to withstand the drawback of using his cannon."

"Ohhhh," Fuel's eyes lit up with understanding. "Kuma might have tough time, then."

Lucas gave him a knowing look. "We'll see."

"And...begin!" Bronson's voice began the match, and immediately two hands were interlocked, one flesh, the other metal.

The crowd that had formed around them started to cheer, some for both sides, others for whoever they bet on. Claus and Kumatora's hands clenched as they fought to smack the other's arm down. Both had expressions of intense concentration. Their arms shook, and the balance rocked back and forth.

Claus grunted and gathered all the strength he could muster into his arm. Slowly but surely, he started lowering Kumatora's arm, who grit her teeth in frustration. With a victorious grin, Claus prepared to deal the final blow. He bent his wrist slightly, and—

Crack.

The audience roared as, suddenly, Kumatora started pushing Claus' arm back, finally having found the strength to subdue him. A look of sheer panic crossed Claus' face.

Lucas frowned and looked at his twin worriedly.

"Claus, what's wrong?"

"S-spring," Claus breathed, not taking his eyes off his arm, "I think...it snapped."

Lucas' eyes widened in alarm. "What?!"

"Gears aren't working," Claus hissed, his shoulders tensing. "Kuma needs to stop befo—"

" _Haaaaaaahhh_!" The woman yelled triumphantly as she finally smashed Claus' arm onto the table.

Claus watched in dismay as his arm came apart, gears and springs flying everywhere, wires splitting and spitting small bits of electricity. The crowd fell deathly silent as the destruction finally stopped, a small screw rolling around in circles before slowly coming to a halt.

Everyone stared at the mess that was now Claus' arm in complete shock, their mouths hanging open, unable to speak.

Kumatora was the first to break the silence, sweat sliding down her temple.

"Well, shit."

Lucas touched his brother's shoulder. He bit down on his lower lip.

"Claus?"

"...My arm..." Came the quiet response.

Lucas frowned and tried again. "Claus?"

"She broke it...the arm that Dr. Andonuts made for me..." His voice came out as a harsh whisper.

Immediately sensing what was about to happen, Kumatora held up both of her palms in defense.

"Hey, hey! No sad faces! I promise I'll get your arm fixed ASAP, okay? I-I'll pay for the damages and everything!" She said quickly.

"My arm...she broke it..." Claus moaned lowly.

"Claus, it's okay," Lucas soothed, rubbing the distraught teen's shoulders, "We'll get it fixed, I promise."

"I knew this was a bad idea," the redhead rasped, letting his forehead hit the table in a defeated smack.

"Oh boy," Lucas squeaked, nuzzling Claus' hair in an attempt to comfort him. "You're okay, Claus! You're okay!"

Claus let out a furious caterwaul.

" _Aghhh! That's the_ last _time I'll let Kumatora talk me into doing something stupid!_ "


	3. Color

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I usually never ever get chapters out this fast, so don't expect this to happen again in the future lol  
> Truth is, I had the first half of this chapter written for months, and I initially planned on posting it as a oneshot when I finished, but I figured I might as well use it for this! It fits the theme of color quite nicely, I'd say. The beginning is a little choppy since I haven't edited it since I wrote it, but I think it's alright. //shrugs
> 
> This chappy is much more serious and angsty than the last two. The fun can't always last. But don't worry! It has a happy ending, so that should be good enough, right?
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains thoughts of suicide. Please don't read it if that triggers you.
> 
> Well, enjoy!

Theme: Color

The day that Claus returned was definitely a memorable one.

Lucas didn't question it. He didn't ask, and Claus didn't say anything about the matter. Lucas just _basked_. He basked in his brother's presence, his face, his eyes, his hair, his _smile_. Granted, it was never a full-on smile; it was usually a half-hearted attempt or a grimace. But at least he tried.

It was different, the blonde noticed. Claus was different. His arm was a fake. It was the same one that Dr. Andonuts had made for him, three years ago. It was still fully functional, too. But Claus didn't like to show it off. Instead, he covered it up as best as he could by wearing a jacket extremely similar to the one he had as the commander. The same case went for his eye—that hadn't changed a bit, either. It had the targeting system installed and everything. But it seemed to make Claus nervous, so he wore a medical eyepatch. Lucas didn't care, though. As long as his brother was happy, he was happy. As long as Claus was there, he was fine. Just fine.

They didn't really do anything on that first day. They just went home and sat, curled up on the couch, together. Fingers intertwined and heads rested against each other, completely content with the silence. They really didn't need to say anything. Their connection, although slightly damaged, hadn't been broken. They didn't need to speak because they already knew what the other was going to say, what the other was trying to convey. And now, they were finally where they belonged, with _each other_...

Lucas could never fully describe the pain he endured when his brother left him. Claus had always been a part of his life, _always_. There was never a moment when the two weren't seen without each other. Lucas had been with Claus since birth, and vice versa. They were two sides to the same coin. Yin and yang. Day and night. Light and dark...

When Claus went missing Lucas felt empty, like there was a hole in his heart that couldn't be filled, no matter how many omelettes he ate. This wasn't the same as losing his mother. He loved her, yes, but he could definitely say without any hesitance that he loved Claus more. Claus had been his other half, and now that he was gone, so was Lucas. He wasn't whole anymore. He was incomplete. The happy world he'd once known had vanished; now his life had been plunged into eternal darkness, never to see the sun...to see _Claus_...again.

He'd honestly thought about killing himself a couple times.

What was the _point_? His entire reason for existence, for _living_ , was gone. Without Claus there wasn't any color anymore. The world became black and white and gray. And red. The color of blood. That was the only other color he could see.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), Lucas' reputation as a crybaby still remained. Which meant that, even though he so _desperately_ wanted to run away from all of the pain and sadness, he was a coward. He was too afraid to actually do it, to actually pull the trigger or step off the edge or bring the knife down. And every time he'd think of such things he'd feel a twist in his gut that symbolized his guilt.

He hated himself. He was so extremely selfish. How could he think of leaving his family behind? Flint and Boney were suffering too; they understood his agony. He couldn't leave them and make their pain even worse. So he stayed there, in the empty house that so reminded him of sunflowers and hyper ginger boys. He stayed there for three years, wallowing in misery, growing accustomed to the gaping hole in his heart. And he grew up. He needed to move on and accept the fact that Claus was gone and he wasn't coming back. Lucas threw that notion away and built walls around his heart—walls so thick that nobody could ever reach him, even with all of their screaming and pounding. He was impenetrable.

Kumatora and Duster came along then. They could sense that, deep within him, something was terribly wrong, terribly _twisted_. They were smart, though, so they never tried to bring up the subject of Claus or his mother. Lucas liked them a lot. Kumatora was like him in some ways, he noticed. She built walls around herself too, but she wasn't as insecure as he was. She was blunt and always said what was on her mind. Duster, on the other hand, was a kind soul. He was always looking out for the three of them—Lucas, Kumatora, and Boney—and he tried to cheer Lucas up whenever he was feeling down. Slowly but surely, some of the wounds in Lucas' heart healed with their presence. Of course, they wouldn't fade completely. They'd never go away. But at least it was a start. He definitely owed his friends a lot, and he loved them dearly.

It was strange whenever Lucas would encounter the Masked Man. Despite their constant attempts to outshine each other in the Needle-pulling department and despite their usual fights and battles, whenever Lucas was with him he felt whole again. Which was impractical, because the only person who could erase the never-ending sorrow in his heart was...

Ah, but that was impossible...right?

Still, after every encounter, though Lucas was left feeling breathless, beaten and thoroughly exhausted, his heart felt lighter than it had in years, and suddenly some of the colors came flooding back. He'd forgotten how beautiful the world looked drowned in shades of green, blue, _orange_...

That was the same color of Claus' hair, wasn't it?

A part of him had known it all along, but consciously he refused to accept the theory circling in the back of his mind. Because, to be honest, he wasn't sure what was worse.

His brother was dead. His brother was alive, but in the hands of the enemy, memory wiped clean and brainwashed into doing their dirty work.

Both fates seemed terribly unfair. Claus had only wanted to avenge their mother, nothing more. He'd just wanted to see her smile again. But _this_? He didn't deserve either path that had been set out for him. To die at such a young age, or to become somebody terrifying and ruthless, somebody _not Claus..._

And as Lucas stood there on the final battlefield, fighting to keep his tears at bay, all of the colors that had drained away suddenly erupted forth in a violent explosion. Pinks, purples, yellows, browns—all of them came together in a mass of overwhelming vibrancy and Lucas _knew_ then that he'd finally found the one person he'd wanted to see for the past three years.

Unfortunately, Claus didn't share his sentiments and was not so happy to see him. He'd charged without a second thought, his uncovered jade eye glittering with malice and hate, and Lucas could barely even find the strength to protect himself against his brother's countless barrage of attacks.

And then...and then...

Lucas didn't even like thinking about it, let alone reliving the entire thing.

When Claus died, cradled in his arms, that's when everything truly came crashing down. All of the colors faded away again, and Lucas' hands were stained with only red. He refused to leave his brother's side, even at the pleading of his friends and father to _pull it, Lucas, please, you need to pull the final Needle, the entire island's fate rests in your hands now, please, it's going to be okay, just pull the Needle._

And so he did.

When the world was reset, nothing really changed. New Pork City had collapsed amongst the destruction and severe earthquakes, but the rest of the island remained quite untouched. The chimeras were still there, roaming about and questioning their existence, and the scenery was no different, either. This brought a sort of comfort to Lucas. He'd dealt with enough change in the past three years; he wasn't sure if he could deal with anymore.

On the trek home, Lucas was eerily silent as he carried the body of his fallen twin, refusing to let anybody touch him, even his own father. Boney padded faithfully at his side, while Kumatora and Duster walked close together at the rear. They were unable to hide their worried glances from the blonde, who didn't really care either way. Flint was also quiet as he walked, which wasn't really that different from his normal visage. Even so, there was an air of utter defeat and exhaustion among him, Lucas too.

When they finally got home, they were unsurprised to see that Tazmily wasn't any different from before. It was still modernized, with the trains and happy boxes and _money_ that started the whole transformation in the first place.

They buried Claus that night, right next to Hinawa's grave. Lucas was surrounded by crying villagers, but he would not allow himself to shed any tears this time. Claus wouldn't want him to. Claus would want him to be strong and smile for him.

So Lucas smiled. It was full of pain, of grief and sorrow, but he still did it. Flint saw him do so and rubbed his head comfortingly. He hadn't been much of a father to his remaining child, but perhaps he could start trying now.

Three more years passed, and slowly Lucas began to heal. The colors were still gone, and the hole in his chest still stayed, but he could deal with the aching. It was a reminder of what he'd lost, of what he'd gone through and what he'd accomplished. He'd seen his brother again. He stopped the Pigmask Army. He ensured that Porky would never threaten another person. It wasn't enough, but it would do.

Boney was the first to go. His old age caught up to him quickly, and the stress of their adventure wore him down. He died peacefully in his slumber while Lucas held on and stroked his fur reassuringly. It was difficult to say goodbye to his animal companion, the one source of comfort he'd had while growing up—but Boney had been through a lot, too, and he deserved rest. He was really old for a dog, anyway. He'd been with their family since the twins were very small, and had grown up alongside them. Lucas wondered vaguely if he was with Hinawa and Claus now.

Flint passed away not too long after. The strain of losing both his wife and one of his sons was too much for him to bear. The stress took a major toll on his already aging body, and then...well, at least he didn't suffer, according to the village doctor, who had previously been a Pigmask.

Lucas was all alone.

He never thought he'd be the last of his family to survive. His mother, sweet and gentle, still had so many years left to live. His father would have had a quiet and peaceful life if not for the events that destroyed it. And Claus...

Claus was stubborn. Lucas was sure that he would've died before his twin, since he always thought Claus was too stubborn to die. But he was gravely mistaken in that assumption.

Duster and Kumatora moved in with him after Flint passed. They couldn't stand seeing Lucas have to wake up in an empty house each morning, so they eagerly stepped up to the plate and filled in the gaps. Lucas was grateful for their presence; it made the crushing loneliness a little easier to handle.

On days where he'd much prefer to stay in bed and mope, the two older friends dragged him out into town for something fun. Occasionally they'd head up to Club Titiboo, where Duster would enthusiastically greet his old band members and they'd play songs together in front of an excited audience. Lucas always seemed to cheer up during these times, a faint smile showing on his face. It was a rare sight to catch him making that sort of expression nowadays.

And then, one day while Kumatora was checking up on the castle and Duster was shopping, Lucas decided to step outside for a bit for some fresh air. He didn't get very far before he heard the sounds of gravel crunching beneath feet, and wondered if Duster had returned from his trip. He was closer to the house than Kuma was, anyway.

The person he saw coming up the hill took his breath away, and after three long years of monotone, the world bursted with vibrant colors once more, creating a rainbow of hues that Lucas thought he'd never see again.

It was then on that day that he allowed himself to cry. He thought his reputation as a crybaby was long since revoked, but as tears slid down his cheeks like rain, the person standing in front of him gave him an all too familiar smile.

"I'm home."

And above their heads, the clear azure sky stretched on forever.


	4. Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late -facepalms-
> 
> This chapter's theme is Birthday-but the twins' birthday was Wednesday, January 20th. I actually did start writing this about a week ago, but since my break is over and I'm back in school I haven't had as much free time as I'd like. Sorry about that! But I'm still going to try to write whenever I can.
> 
> This chapter is...very, very, very fluffy, especially towards the end. I could call it borderline twincest it's so goddamn fluffy. Writing it made me embarrassed. XD So, uh, if that makes you uncomfortable, please don't read this chapter, okay? I'll even put in a warning.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains mild cursing, angst, and an overload of brotherly fluff. Just be wary of that. ;D
> 
> Also, some people have requested for me to write twincest chapters...so there's a chance that will happen in the future. If you absolutely can't stand that sort of thing, just skip those chapters when I post them, alright?
> 
> And, without further ado...happy birthday, boys!

Theme: Birthday

The sun was too bright, Claus noticed.

It sliced through the blinds, spilling out onto his pillow and into his eyes. That damn persistent sun refused to leave and allow him more rest. No, it only shone brighter, begging him to wake up and leave the confines of his warm bed.

It was really annoying.

Claus rolled over with a huff and reached an arm out blindly. The only thing he felt was emptiness, and with a strange jolt of panic, he cracked a piercing red eye open and quickly did a search.

Nope, the other side of the bed was vacant.

Confusion rendered his already-foggy brain even more befuddled. Obviously there was something wrong here. He always woke up earlier than his companion, and to wake now and not find them there made him feel very unsettled.

Shifting about, Claus attempted to stretch and actually get out of bed to instigate a search, but before he could move any farther something crashed into him like a cannonball.

Claus wheezed loudly as the breath was knocked out of his lungs. His vision cleared after a couple seconds and sitting on his chest was a heap of blonde hair and tangled limbs.

Suddenly, hands were reaching up and gently cupping at his cheeks, and icy but warm blue eyes came into focus above him.

Lucas beamed, and it rivaled the sun in its brightness and intensity easily.

"Happy birthday!" He whispered, eyes glowing in the morning sunshine.

Claus blinked at him owlishly before he came to a quick realization.

He grinned back at his brother, sharp teeth glinting as he revealed them.

"Happy birthday," he said back, reaching up to dishevel his twin's perfectly neat hair. Lucas scowled and smoothed it back into place, amusement hidden in the depths of his eyes.

"Why're you up so early?" Claus mumbled, voice thick with sleep. "Woke up 'n you weren't there. Surprised me."

"I was making our birthday breakfast," the blonde responded, sitting back to give Claus room to breathe.

The redhead immediately lit up at that. "Omelettes?"

Lucas chuckled and nodded, not shocked at how easily Claus could read his mind. "Omelettes."

"Well, _move_ ," Claus said, shoving him off the bed. Lucas laughed and disappeared out of the room, most likely to start eating.

Claus wasted no time getting dressed. He threw on his usual clothes and jacket before quickly rushing into the kitchen, where Lucas was waiting patiently at the table for him. Two plates sat on the smooth surface, steaming slightly from the heat of the food. Claus could feel his mouth watering at the scent that drafted into his nose. Being a human chimera definitely had its perks sometimes—like being able to smell delicious food from a mile away. His enhanced senses allowed him to do so.

He seated himself at the table, across from his brother. Both of them clapped their hands together and dipped their heads a little before announcing, "Thanks for the food!" And then they dug in eagerly.

"Sho good," Claus moaned in approval, mouth crammed with the fluffy yellow treat.

Lucas rolled his eyes fondly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?"

"At least once more," the redhead responded easily, having swallowed nearly half of his omelette already.

"You haven't changed at all," Lucas snorted in amusement. "Mom used to yell at you for doing that, too."

Claus settled with giving him a scathing look. "Yeah, and you've practically become her."

Lucas laughed humorlessly at this.

"I guess so," he murmured, eyes clouding over for a moment.

Claus studied his reaction and frowned. That wouldn't do. No matter what, he didn't want Lucas to be sad on his birthday.

Clearing his throat, Claus finished off the remainder of his breakfast and took it over to the sink. While he cleaned off his plate, he glanced back at Lucas, who was chewing thoughtfully.

"Did you have anything planned for today?" Claus asked, setting the clean dish down.

"Not really," Lucas answered. "I was thinking I'd let you decide what we should do."

Claus pouted and crossed his arms as Lucas gently moved him aside to clean his own plate.

"It's your birthday too, you know."

Lucas giggled and swatted his shoulder lightly.

"I know! But as long as I'm with you, I don't care what we do today."

Claus opened his mouth to reply but found he didn't have anything to say. His cheeks flushed and he shut his mouth abruptly, taken aback by his twin's forwardness. It was a commonly known fact that Claus had become more of the clingy twin nowadays, but Lucas showed his fair share of affection too every now and then. It was nice to hear him say such things, even though Claus heard them all the time.

"O—kay..." Claus mused, eyes narrowing as he pondered. Lucas silently leaned against him as he completed drying the dishes, and Claus subconsciously leaned back.

"Why don't we just walk around? Oh, maybe we could go to the hot springs in Sunshine Forest," he added as an afterthought.

"Mmhh! That sounds like a good plan. It's been a while since I've had a nice long soak," Lucas agreed.

"Me too." Claus nodded. "Whah about Fuel, Kuma and Duster? Are we meeting up with them today?"

"Probably later tonight, I think," Lucas told him, positioning his scarf properly around his neck. He straightened out his vest and made a soft noise of approval at his attire before walking towards the front door, Claus on his heels.

"Off we go, then!"

* * *

The day was bright and slightly chilly as the twins headed into town. It was the beginning of the year, after all, and winter had not yet released its cold grip on the Nowhere Islands. Nobody dared go near Snowcap Mountain—at this time of year, the blizzards were fierce and so were the chimeras who managed to survive there. Though it was a place that snowed year-round, the weather there tended to get more violent during the winter.

As they walked down the dirt path leading into the heart of Tazmily, Lucas slipped his hand into Claus'. The redhead allowed him, comforted by Lucas' presence and the warmth of his hand. It wasn't uncommon for them to do things like this; it was confirmation that the other was there, alive and breathing. They were certainly closer than normal siblings would be—six years of separation and three years of death on Claus' part made it so that they couldn't bear to be away from each other for too long. Everyone understood, of course. The twins didn't have anyone left. All they had was each other, so it was natural for them to become as close as they were.

Eventually they reached the town square, where the villagers were milling about cheerfully. After the world was reset, they'd taken to their old ways more often. Happy boxes were hardly ever used anymore (because, honestly, did they even bring true happiness?) and while money was still used, the villagers were no longer so uptight about their prices. Things had finally calmed down for the most part...except for the modernization and the presence of several ex-Pigmasks in town, but all was well.

"Mornin', you two," Bronson greeted. "Isn't it your birthday today?"

Lucas grinned. "Yup! We're both seventeen now!"

The older man shook his head in wonder. "Seventeen...if your mother was still here, she'd be heartbroken to see how quickly you two are growing up."

The pair stared at him for a moment before smiling faintly.

"...Yeah, probably," Lucas murmured. Claus tugged on his hand, and Lucas waved goodbye to Bronson before they moved along.

"What's the hurry?" Lucas panted, almost jogging to keep his pace with the redhead.

"Hot springs, remember?" Claus reminded him. "It's damn cold and my arm's aching. I don't want to stay out here longer than I need to."

Lucas huffed. "You were the one who suggested going out in the first place!"

"Yeah, but that was before I realized how cold it is," Claus gritted, shivering a little.

"You baby," the blonde teased him, leaning into him for warmth. Claus rubbed his shoulder against Lucas' and stuck his tongue out at him.

"Oh...?"

The two slowed down to a halt at the voice coming from behind them.

"C-Commander, sir! Is that you?"

Claus immediately froze, eyes wide as saucers. Lucas turned around, not releasing his brother's hand. Claus followed his movements more slowly.

There, standing in front of them, was a middle-aged, kind-looking brunette man who was carrying a couple bags of groceries.

Claus' shoulders tensed, and Lucas squeezed his hand reassuringly.

The ex-Pigmask released a squealing noise before dropping his bags and saluting Claus, his stance nearly perfect.

"Commander, sir! It's very good to see you, sir!" The man squeaked, keeping his eyes stubbornly ahead.

"Uh...yeah," Claus mumbled, unsure of how to respond.

Lucas gave the man a soft smile, trying to ease the tension.

"Hello. Are you one of Claus' old subordinates?" The blonde asked kindly.

The ex-Pigmask relaxed a little, but still kept a wary gaze trained in both of them. One was his previous commanding officer while the other was the hero who'd defeated his master and the army...he had every reason to be somewhat frightened of them. Both were very intimidating foes.

"Yes, sir," he answered, nodding respectfully. "I'm glad to see that you're doing okay, Commander. I—well, we—the rest of your troops, that is—got worried when you went down to pull the last Needle and didn't come back. I see you've settled down with...um, excuse me, what's your name?" He gestured to Lucas nervously.

Lucas chuckled at his politeness. "It's Lucas. And Claus—Commander, rather—is my brother, in case you didn't know."

The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, wow...no, I didn't know that, sir. That's very good then, Commander! Family is important, and I'm glad you've found yours."

Claus looked away uncomfortably. He released Lucas' hand and crossed his arms in a defensive manner. Lucas frowned at his behavior.

"Claus," he hissed, catching the redhead's attention, "stop being so rude and say thank you!"

Claus released a frustrated snarl and shook his head.

"I don't want anything to do with him," he snapped.

Lucas' jaw dropped in outrage. " _Claus_!"

"Um, sirs? Is everything okay?" The ex-Pigmask had picked up his bags and was looking at them curiously.

"Uh—y-yeah! Sorry," Lucas jumped a bit in surprise. He tugged on Claus' arm insistently, to which the teen shrugged it off.

"So, uh," Lucas started awkwardly, "how's life in Tazmily? Have you adjusted well?"

The man looked surprised to be asked such a thing, but then he smiled. "It's great! It's a lot different from New Pork City. I like it here a lot. It's very quiet and peaceful...definitely a change from my hectic military life, that's for sure!"

Lucas laughed at his cheerful optimism. Claus growled a warning under his breath. Lucas ignored him.

"That's great! Yeah, Tazmily is really a nice place to live. I'm glad you managed to settle in okay. I know how hard it must have been..."

" _Lucas_ ," Claus quipped. Lucas waved him off.

"It was difficult at first, especially when I was forc—er, _chose_ to join the army," the man corrected himself quickly. "But I've adapted quite well, and being here has definitely eased my worries a lot."

"That's good to he—"

"What the _hell_ , Lucas?"

Lucas paused and turned to stare at his brother, who was visibly trembling in anger and hurt. The blonde flinched at the betrayed look in Claus' eyes. He might have taken things a bit too far this time.

"I can't believe you," he whispered harshly, shaking. "After all they've done...to Tazmily, and to you, how can you forgive them so easily?!"

Lucas frowned worriedly. "Clau—"

The redhead suddenly froze, eyes growing wide with awful realization at his own words. He shook his head from side to side, horror creeping into his expression.

"No..." He whispered. "...How could you forgive _me_ so easily? After all of the terrible things _I've_ done...?" His eyes clouded in unspeakable dread.

Lucas stepped towards him in alarm. He didn't like where this was going. "Claus—"

"No, it's fine," the teen muttered bitterly, seeming to have cleared his mind. "Stay with him. He's better for you anyway."

Then, he turned and ran.

"Claus!" Lucas shrieked, trying to race after him. But Claus was a chimera and was capable of much more than a normal human, so he couldn't catch up. He watched in dismay as his brother disappeared into the trees, possibly never to be seen again.

"Claus! Claus! Claus! _Claus_!" Lucas shouted the name over and over.

"Come back! _Come back_! P-please, don't—"

"Squirt? Hey, whatsa matter?"

Lucas breathed in rapidly as Kumatora approached him, Duster close behind her. Upon seeing his panic-stricken visage, she frowned in concern.

"Lucas, what's wrong?"

"C-C-Claus," the blonde sniffed, unable to hold back his tears any longer. They slid down his cheeks, leaving sticky trails in their wake. "He—he left. He promised—he told me he'd never leave me again. B-but he just ran away. He _lied_..."

Kumatora immediately swept him into a hug as his cries erupted into violent sobs.

"W-why? _Why_?" Lucas wailed, grabbing fistfuls of the woman's jacket. "C-Claus, come back, come back! D-don't leave me alone again! I can't—I c-c- _can't_ —"

"Shh, Lucas," Kumatora soothed, petting his hair. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay. He'll come back, don't worry."

Duster came up from the other side and rubbed his friend's shoulder soothingly. "Yeah, it'll be alright, Lucas."

"D-don't go...don't leave me, Claus..." Lucas bawled.

"Dammit," Kumatora hissed quietly. "The next time I see that brat, I'm gonna break _both_ of his arms."

* * *

Claus raced through the woods blindly, not caring where he was going. Branches slapped at his face as he whipped past, leaving ugly red scratches behind. His clothes tore as he stumbled through the wilderness, catching on bushes with sharp thorns and various other bits of undergrowth.

Eventually he slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. He rubbed a palm over his face, beyond frustrated. Great. Just great. He'd gone and done something stupid again, and on his precious twin brother's _birthday_ , no less. He was an awful human being.

...Wait, he wasn't even human, was he?

Claus groaned loudly and sunk into a crouching position. Everything was going wrong. Those pesky memories had come flooding back and clouded his better judgement once again. Why couldn't he just let it go? It was all in the past now, and Lucas had forgiven him for his sins...

But, had he truly forgiven _himself_?

He always caused trouble. He always made Lucas cry. He couldn't stand himself sometimes. Why couldn't he just...

" _Dammit_!" He roared, lashing out at the nearest thing. His metal fist connected with a tree trunk and smashed the wood to bits. The force of his punch sent shockwaves crashing up his arm and to his shoulder.

Claus collapsed against the splintered tree, out of breath. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. He'd upset the most important person to him in the world, and he didn't know how to make it up to him. Kumatora would surely beat him up when he came back. The thought of her fierce glare made him shudder and chuckle simultaneously. Lucas sure knew how to pick his friends, didn't he?

With a sigh, he straightened himself out and looked around.

...Well, shit.

_Where the hell am I?_

* * *

"Come on, Lucas! Everything'll be just fine, so don't worry, okay?"

Lucas didn't answer Fuel's genuine attempts at comfort as he sat curled up on the couch, head buried in his knees. Duster paced the living room worriedly while Kumatora was trying her hand at baking a birthday cake. She was failing miserably.

"Shit!" She cursed as another splash of batter landed on her clothes. She was covered head to toe in flour and various other ingredients that were supposed to go into the cake, but had decided to decorate her instead.

Duster saw her having trouble and came over to help, having nothing else to do. He gently took the wooden spoon from her hand and began to mix the batter with fluid movements.

"You're not supposed to stab it, Kuma. You'll just ruin it that way," he advised lightly, tipping in a bit of water.

"Shut up. I don't need your sass," the pinkette snapped, crossing her arms in embarrassment.

Duster only smiled and stirred away. "Cooking requires a gentler touch, I'd say. Which...you don't seem to have."

The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you _asking_ me to kick your ass?"

Duster squeaked and turned away hurriedly. "No, no! I'd rather not!"

Fuel watched them banter away and grinned. Currently there were rumors spreading about Tazmily that the two older heroes were an item now, which wasn't entirely true, but it was easy to see they were developing feelings for each other. His gaze flitted over to Lucas, who hadn't moved in ages except for the tiny shaking of his shoulders.

Fuel's cheerful mood melted away at the sight of his childhood friend. He hadn't realized how unstable Lucas tended to act without Claus around. During the three years when the ginger was presumed dead, Lucas skillfully kept his emotions locked away and smiled through his pain. Sometimes it was impossible to tell how much he was grieving underneath all of that faked happiness. Now that Claus had returned Lucas' true joy had made a comeback as well—and since it had been nearly a year since Lucas had had to pretend, he was clearly out of practice and broke down without a second thought.

Fuel sighed and scooted closer to the blonde, hoping that his presence and warmth would help to calm him down. He was slightly upset with Claus for running off like that. He'd known the twins since he was a child, and Claus had always been reckless, dashing into danger headfirst and not thinking of the consequences—or how his actions so deeply affected others.

Fuel had no doubt that Claus would come back—he was a mess without Lucas, after all—but he wasn't exactly sure _when_ that would happen. He hoped it was soon, because it was nearing the evening and it was starting to get stormy outside. That and if he didn't come back (on their birthday, no less) he'd be second in line to kick Claus' ass, right after Kumatora did. Though he didn't know how much of Claus she'd leave unscathed for him to finish off...

A quiet sob sounded from next to him, and Fuel was immediately radiating with worry. The last time he'd seen Lucas so openly upset was when Hinawa died and Claus disappeared nearly six years prior. He wasn't sure how he should go about comforting his friend, because he had no idea how Lucas would react. He could snap, maybe push him away, maybe he wouldn't even react at all. But before he could even move to put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, the front door clicked.

Lucas tore off the couch in mere seconds and crashed into the arms of the person who'd just stepped inside.

"Claus!" He shrieked, his voice cracking.

Claus immediately wrapped his arms around the quaking teen and pushed his nose into his hair. He breathed in Lucas' scent and exhaled shakily, his hand rubbing his twin's back in soothing circles.

"Claus," Lucas sobbed, holding him so tight he could barely breathe, "Claus, Claus...!"

Fuel sighed in relief and silently left the area, wanting the give the two some privacy. Claus shot him a grateful look.

"Shh," the redhead whispered, pressing an apologetic kiss to his brother's forehead. "It's okay. I'm home now. I'm sorry."

"Y-you left," Lucas stuttered. His voice was high and wrought with tears. "You left a-and—I thought you weren't—"

Claus hushed him and bumped the blonde's head with his own. He gently wiped Lucas' tears away with his sleeve, smiling bitterly.

"I didn't mean to make you cry. Some brother I am."

Lucas shook his head and nuzzled into Claus' touch. The taller's eyes wavered.

"I shouldn't have left you," Claus began quietly, "especially on your birthday. I'm so...I'm so sorry, Lucas."

The shorter teen paused and blinked when he felt something wet land on his cheek. Eyes widening with shock, he gazed up into the face of his twin and released a soft gasp when he saw tears running down Claus' right cheek.

He was crying.

Claus was _crying_.

Claus never cried, _never_.

When he attended Hinawa's funeral, his face was shockingly dry as Lucas openly wept over the violent death of their mother. When his entire body was paralyzed with fear as he faced off against the Mecha-Drago, he didn't break down in terror. When he was operated on during his transformation from Claus to Commander—his destroyed arm cut off and replaced with a new one, the nerves connecting harshly, his eye being torn out and a new one with a targeting system installed in its place—he didn't dare let any weakness show in the form of tears.

And when he died in Lucas' arms, he didn't cry then, either. He just smiled. He smiled because that was the last thing he wanted Lucas to remember him by, not him crying and saying life wasn't fair, because it wasn't.

And now...he was.

Lucas was beyond appalled.

"I'm so sorry," Claus whimpered, head coming to rest on Lucas' shoulder. "I-I'm such an awful brother. I a-always...always make you cry, and I can't...I d-don't know how you put up with me a-after all I've done, but thank you. Thank you, Lucas, th-thank you...I don't deserve s-someone as great as you..."

Lucas' eyes welled with tears again, and he squeezed Claus tightly.

"Don't say that," he begged. "D-don't...p-please, don't..." And he was crying again, releasing all of his stress and worries into his twin's shoulder, which was wet from tears and...

Lucas pulled away a little, but not too far, for it seemed that Claus had no plans to let him go just yet. He examined the taller teen, and upon a closer look he realized that Claus was dripping wet everywhere. Lucas' own clothes had become damp long ago, and he was only just now starting to feel the chill.

"Is it raining?" He asked, smoothing down Claus' hair. Water collected on his fingertips.

Claus nodded. "I got caught on the way back."

"You're all covered in scratches...where did you _go_?" Lucas patted his torn clothes, wrought with worry.

Claus winced. "Well, running through the forest is...not such a good idea."

Lucas studied his face carefully. He slowly reached up and brushed away the tear tracks on his brother's cheek, expression morphing into one of curiosity.

"You're crying...but only from one side," he realized in wonder.

Claus looked confused for a moment before sighing in understanding.

"Yeah. My other eye shorts out when it gets wet, so being able to cry from it probably wouldn't be a great idea. The doctors didn't include that feature, I guess."

Lucas frowned sadly. "Only being able to cry from one eye...how sad..."

Claus gave him a strange look before chuckling a little. "Only _you_ would think that way, Lucas."

The blonde pouted at him. Claus released his hold on the shorter and moved towards the front door. Lucas' heart fluttered in panic and he quickly grabbed the redhead's arm.

"W-wait—where are you going? You're not...leaving again, are you?"

When Claus didn't answer fast enough, Lucas started hyperventilating. "No—no, no, don't leave me, Claus, I can't be without you! P-p-please, I'll do anything, I—"

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Claus grabbed his shoulders. Lucas trembled and breathed slowly, feeling like he was going to throw up.

"I'm just...getting your birthday present. I left it right on the porch," Claus said, giving Lucas' shoulders a little squeeze. "Okay?"

Lucas sucked in a great amount of air and forced himself to relax. He nodded in approval. His heart rate steadily slowed down to its normal pace.

Claus opened the door and quickly snatched up whatever was sitting on the wooden platform before he came back inside. The opposite PSI user gasped and almost started crying again when he saw what Claus held in his arms.

A bundle of sunflowers, speckled with raindrops.

They seemed to be in pristine condition, with their vibrant green stems and healthy golden petals. No wonder Claus was so beat up; he must have went to a lot of trouble to get these!

"I...I kind of forgot where the field was," the chimera admitted, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment. "That's why I got back so late. I was wondering around for a while, and...I guess I sorta stumbled across it. I had to be careful on the way back, too. I didn't mean to be gone so long but I—"

He was abruptly cut off when Lucas launched himself into his arms again.

"Oh, Claus, Claus!" He blonde exclaimed happily into his chest. "They're lovely—oh, thank you!"

"Wh—be careful! You're going to crush them!" Claus squawked, moving the flowers before they got squished beyond repair.

Lucas jumped away, cheeks burning. "S-sorry!"

His eyes softened.

"They're beautiful," he whispered, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Claus."

Claus shrugged and looked away, scratching his cheek. He was clearly sheepish about the whole ordeal.

Lucas suddenly lit up, remembering something.

"Oh, hold on a minute! I need to go get your gift. Wait here for me, okay?"

Claus stood there and waited patiently as the blonde disappeared into another room, most likely to get his gift. He fondly recalled the days of their childhood; when they were younger and their birthday was approaching, Claus would always lead a search around the house to try to find their hidden gifts. Lucas would follow him nervously, questioning the whole idea. In the end, they never found their gifts before they were given. Hinawa was skilled at finding hiding places.

Suddenly, something resembling a pink comet shot forward and struck a well-aimed blow right into his stomach. Claus promptly fell over with an agonized groan, not expecting the attack at all.

"Welcome home, you little bastard!"

Claus looked up weakly and was met with the sight of a very fierce glare.

Yup, he was totally correct in assuming Kumatora would kick his ass.

"You know," the woman hummed, crossing her arms delicately, "I'm not sure whether to break your right arm first, or your left one."

Claus released a frightened whimper.

"Now, now, Kumatora," Duster appeared from behind the enraged PSI user, his hands coated in flour, "let's not, uh, do anything rash, okay?"

Kumatora ignored him. "Or maybe I could just dump all of our cake batter onto your head, and you'd end up with no birthday cake on your birthday. Wouldn't that be depressing?"

"What, no! After all the hard work you guys put into it? Besides, I want cake, too!" Fuel dashed out into the room, pouting.

The pinkette sighed dramatically. "Fine. But this isn't over," she added with glower in Claus' direction. The chimera swallowed and was internally grateful he was being spared for the time being.

"Found it!"

Lucas came skipping back into the room, looking around curiously as Kumatora stalked away from a visibly pale Claus while Duster and Fuel stood expressionless.

Claus breathed out a sigh of relief and quickly got up to join his brother, who was holding a somewhat long and heavy package in his arms. The teen stared at it, transfixed. What could possibly be inside of it?

"Here," Lucas smiled, handing him the gift. "Sorry it's not wrapped very well. It's not easy to do with this sort of thing."

As soon as it landed in his arms, Claus recognized the shape and blinked rapidly. Could it be...?

He tore the wrapping open slowly, gasping as the item was revealed—a brand new mechanical arm. He could tell right away that it was different from the last one, and most likely upgraded. It seemed sturdier, heavier than the one he had, but the metal was sleeker and less prone to taking damage. He could see the button to transform back and forth between cannon mode, and there were several new panels on the sides that served an exciting purpose of which he wasn't aware yet.

Claus swallowed repeatedly, trying his very best not to cry again. Doing it once was enough.

"Remember that day a few months ago when Kuma left to go inspect the castle? She actually went up to the remainder of the chimera labs and had them make a new arm for you. Of course, she ended up breaking the one you have now, and we got you a replacement for that, but..." Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks pink. "Um, this one has quite a few upgrades...I'm afraid I don't know much about mechanical engineering, so you'll have to inspect it and see the changes for yourself. But, I do recall them telling me they added some extra braces and wires around the connection port to make that area sturdier so it won't bother you as much when it's raining, or something along those lines. Actually, a few months after you came back, I started withdrawing money from our account each month...not enough for you to notice, but enough so that I could pay it off before today."

Claus stared at him, speechless.

Lucas studied his reaction and frowned worriedly.

"Um...do you not like it? I can always take it back—"

Claus shook his head rapidly.

"No, no, no," he managed to get out, his voice a strangled whisper. "This is—I can't even—" He stopped for a moment, biting his lip.

"You did all this...for me?"

Lucas laughed at the silliness of the question. "Of course I did. You deserve the best, after all."

Claus' eyes wavered once more, and he released a heavy breath. He shook his head again in awe, giving Lucas a very tender look.

"Honestly..." He sighed, chuckling a little, "Way to show me up, brother. All I got you were some flowers."

Lucas looked offended. "Don't say that! They're wonderful. I wouldn't have asked for anything better!"

The other teen smiled. "If you say so, then." He held up his birthday gift, appearing to be slightly embarrassed.

"I, uh...might need help connecting this. Wanna lend me a hand?"

Lucas nodded quickly. "Of course I will!"

Claus followed him into their bedroom, sending a thankful glance to the three others still remaining in the room.

Kumatora watched them go and huffed. "If Lucas didn't love him so much, I'd totally have beaten the shit out of him by now."

"That's not a reassuring thought," Duster mumbled.

Fuel simply laughed. "Well, despite what happened earlier, I think today has turned out pretty good so far!"

Kumatora sighed, reluctantly agreeing with him. "I guess so. Yeesh, those two are so sappy it makes me want to throw up."

"I think it's nice," Duster commented. "They bring out the best in each other."

"They sure do!" Fuel chirped. He sniffed the air for a moment and frowned.

"Hey, uh...do you smell something burning?"

Kumatora paled. " _Shit_! My cake!"

And even though the cake was a little burnt, the twins' birthday ended on a very happy note.


	5. Experimentation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains mentions of human experimentation (well, no shit lol) and also some grotesque parts. I don't give too detailed information, but if blood and surgery related things make you squeamish, don't read this chapter, okay?  
> Just note that I'm not that knowledgeable about performing surgeries and how nerves work and mechanics and all that...so most of this is my interpretation and bullshitting lol ;w;
> 
> I guess you could say this one's pretty angsty. After the fluff bomb that was last chapter, I wanted to write something somewhat sad. Forgive me. XD  
> Also this chapter is present tense. Not sure why, it just came out that way while I was writing, so...present tense tends to make things sound more suspenseful and in the moment, so I went with it!
> 
> Dr. Andonuts makes his appearance this chapter! All the info I made up about him is what it is: made up. I actually have no idea what his first name or height or age or weight is, I just guessed. So...just take that all in stride, I guess!
> 
> By the way, the song at the end is one I made up, like, today actually. I think it's pretty good 0w0

Theme: Experimentation

Everything is dark.

That's the first coherent thought that enters his half-conscious brain. He's drowning in the pitch blackness, and there's nobody there with him, nobody to comfort him or guide him through to the light. It's all just empty, like a void.

He can't remember anything.

Who is he, again? He fights to recall something, anything, that might give him a clue to his identity, but all he can manage to muster is the faint scent of sunflowers and bright blue eyes, like the sky.

He isn't sure what these things mean, exactly, or how he knows about them at all, but they are the "memories" he clings to as he wanders through the darkness. They bring a sense of comfort to him—if he is to travel through this void for eternity, so be it. As long as he has something to hold on to, he has a feeling everything will be okay.

And then, suddenly, there's pain.

It's excruciating. The darkness fades to be replaced by something immensely bright shining into his eyes—no, his _eye_. The other one is gone, he can feel it. It hurts. It hurts a _lot._

His vision clears and the light above him comes into focus. It's swinging from side to side, propelled by force, as if someone had knocked into it and not bothered to straighten it out. There's a weird buzzing in his ears, too, but eventually even that disappears and suddenly it's much, much too loud.

There's a cacophony of voices all around him, shouting orders and demanding for certain things. There's strange sounds he doesn't understand; the sounds of something beeping steadily, the clink of metal and the sparking of electricity.

What's going on? He doesn't know what's happening, and that fact seems to send him into a panic. He attempts to move but suddenly there's a fire licking at his shoulder and his arm is—

He releases a breathless shriek of pain, immediately collapsing back into his previous position. His breathing increases and soon enough he's fighting for breath, not able to keep the panic at bay.

It hurts so _bad_. But why? Why is he in so much pain? The world flickers back in forth in front of him. He feels like he's about to pass out from the agony.

"Sir! Sir, he's awake!" There's a person squealing from next to him. His body trembles from fear and discomfort and he wants to move around, but he's learned his lesson now and tries to stay still.

"Already? Those sedatives should have kept him knocked out for another hour, at least..."

A face pops into his view and as their eyes lock, he finds himself relaxing. The man standing above him looks withered with age, but he seems kind and full of wisdom and perhaps a sort of melancholy that cannot be defined. The man smiles down at him sadly and gently pats his head in an attempt to be reassuring.

"You're a tough one," he says, eyes twinkling. "When we started fixing you up you were still wide awake. Didn't even scream when we...well, when we had to remove your arm."

His eyes widen at the statement. His arm...is gone? He turns to take a look at it, but the old man presses a thumb to his cheek and prevents him from doing so, shaking his head.

"You don't want to see," he whispers. "When we found you, your arm was completely ravaged. There was no hope in saving it. But...we've prepared something for you. A substitute, if you will. It won't be as good as your original, flesh arm, of course...but it will do. Better than not having one at all, right?"

He stares at the man and blinks at him in confirmation. He's still very confused as to what's going on. He's missing parts of his body and he's in some strange place and _why can't he remember anything_? The old man had told him he'd been conscious earlier, but he doesn't recall any of that.

"My name is Dr. Andonuts," the old man tells him, smiling kindly. "I'm going to perform this procedure on you. You need to help me and try to be brave, alright? It's going to hurt a lot, but we'll guide you through it."

"Dr. Andonuts, sir! We're ready to perform the experiment!" A man with a strange pig mask on his face approaches, saluting the doctor with respect.

He shudders in alarm. Experiment? _What_ experiment? Didn't the doctor just say they were going to help him?

Dr. Andonuts makes a face at the term and frowns. "Best to call it an operation, soldier."

The Pigmask squeals and nods rapidly. "Right, sir! Of course, sir! We have all the necessary materials for the operation, so you can begin anytime!"

"Alright then, off with you," Dr. Andonuts shoos the Pigmask away. "I don't need any extra hands in here. Just my doctors."

"Of course, sir! Good luck with the operation!"

Dr. Andonuts scowls as the piggy man departs, leaving him with his tools and his patient. He glances down at the boy, who seems to appear quite nervous, but he makes no move to try to escape or question their motives. He's a good kid.

But that's probably because they'd already wiped his memories, so he doesn't know any better.

The doctor sighs and sets to work, gathering up his materials to begin the procedure. What a poor child, being subjected to torture such as this. What kind of life had he led before, the old man wonders? When they were working on him earlier, he'd still had his memories in tact, and he kept ranting about how he needed to get home because Lucas was waiting for him, and if he didn't come back Lucas would get worried, the crybaby, but even so he absolutely had to go home before his dad found out and grounded him for the rest of his life, so could they let him go, please? Of course nobody cared about the young boy's pleas, they just tore off is arm without a second thought and watched him scream in agony with expressions of apathy. Dr. Andonuts was different, of course; he offered the boy words of comfort and _of course we'll let you go home, but you have to be strong and let us finish fixing you first, alright?_ He was unable to hide his horror and great vexation about what they were planning to do with this child, but he didn't say anything out of fear.

Yes, the army can be truly terrifying.

Even with his position of power—he's the head doctor, leader of the group that heals others—he still doesn't have any authority when it comes to someone like Fassad or even Porky, their ruler and King. He doesn't dare go against them and face the consequences, for they'd threatened him with the life of his son, and he absolutely won't risk Jeff's life on any account, even if he's most likely years and years and _years_ away in a different time and place. So he goes along with his orders like a dog, unable to break free and unable to stop their plans for destruction. And the key to these plans is this boy, right here. Such a small, young child, and he is going to be turned into a human weapon for the army to use. How despicable.

What the Pigmask had said earlier had been right—this truly is an experiment, an experiment to see how much this boy can take, how much they can change his body into a useful tool. They already came up with the design to have his prosthetic arm be used as a cannon and his eye as a targeting system. Dr. Andonuts is horrified by these plans, but what more can he do? He just hopes they won't do something that will take this boy's humanity away, though it's probably too late for that. They're going to brainwash him, implant fake memories in his head and order him around to do their dirty work. The thought makes him sick to his stomach. He may be head doctor, but orders had come directly down from King P about this boy's soon to be transformation. He cannot disobey, no matter how much he wants to.

Soon enough all of the doctors have gathered around him. They have their masks and gloves on, their eyes shining with a strange sort of anticipation. These people were hand picked to become a part of the medic team. They're all sadistic, evil bastards with no care or thought of what happens to their subjects. But Andonuts isn't going to let that happen, not this time. He's in charge of this procedure and he knows that if he wasn't chosen to take part the others would surely find joy in dissecting this poor child to find out just how he ticks—but he's here now and he's only going to let them do as they're told and nothing more. There will be no playing around. This child is human, completely different from all of the other subjects they've had before. The others loved combining animals together, and they surely looked excited to get their hands on a real human for the first time...but their orders are strict. The boy is to be kept alive, and Andonuts will make sure they don't get to have the pleasure of making him scream.

"His eye comes first," Andonuts ordered, picking up the round shape off of his cart of tools. It definitely has way more adjustments than what a normal replacement would have—a targeting system, sensors, data readings, and an inputted date and time...

The doctor shakes his head mysteriously at the object. They really went too far in modeling it, that's for sure.

"Alright, now," he murmurs, leaning in close to the boy's face. His remaining jade eye glitters with wariness and exhaustion. Andonuts hums in sympathy. The child has lost a lot of blood, and technically he should be getting more rest if not for the sedatives wearing off. Andonuts would administer more if he could, but it was dangerous to drug the boy up too much, otherwise they might risk killing him.

"Your eye socket is definitely sore and hasn't completely healed yet, but...it will be better to put this in now before you get used to not having anything there. Wouldn't want you to develop phantom pains, eh?" He chatters away as he pins the boy's sweaty orange bangs back and inspects his eye.

That was something they'd removed, too. The old doctor really doesn't want to think about the details. It had been crushed, unable to be used or even seen out of anymore...so they'd ripped it out. It hadn't been too long since that procedure, either, but thankfully the bleeding has stopped and now all that's left is a nasty gash that's starting to scab over and an empty eye socket. It will surely be painful, but it has to be done.

"Okay, I want you to keep this eye open for me, and I'll put in the replacement. I'll attach the wires and nerves as quickly as I can, so be strong for me, alright?"

The boy's breathing has picked up, and he's on the edge of hyperventilating, but he nods nonetheless, seeming to have steeled himself for the pain ahead.

"Here we go, then..."

Everything after that is all a big haze. He vaguely recalls crying out and biting his lip so hard it split open. Having that much pain so close to his head successfully knocks him out—though not completely. He drifts in and out of consciousness. His head feels like it's being pounded with thousands of tiny hammers, and the new pressure in his eye socket doesn't help things too much. Having something being forced into that swollen hole makes everything sting, and he hates the feeling.

His lightheadedness eventually seems to wear off, and things finally start to calm down. Oh, it still hurts like the fiery pits of hell, but it's dulling to an ache instead of a searing burning that makes him want to die.

"There," Andonuts murmurs, once again brushing back several stray strands of hair that had splayed across his forehead. His entire body is coated with sweat; he feels disgusting and in need of a nice long bath. As soon as the doctor had finished putting his eye in, he'd closed it reflexively. He has to get used to the feeling of having one again, after all.

Something touches his lips and he jumps. The old man is holding out a glass of water. He takes it and downs it gratefully, not caring that some of it is spilling out the side and landing on his topless torso. It feels nice, anyway. Cool and refreshing.

"Give it a try, now," Dr. Andonuts encourages him gently. "It should be fully operational."

He takes a deep breath and slowly cracks open his left eye. Everything is swollen and puffy and _dammit_ it hurts, but his entire body becomes rigid with shock once he realizes he can see again.

His eye swivels around in its socket. It's so strange, he can't put his thoughts into words. Whenever his eye lands on a person, a square surrounds them, as if they are becoming targets. And as he looks around the room and sees objects he doesn't know the names of, the information immediately appears in his head, as if there is some kind of sensor installed in his brain and his eye relays information back to it. He can detect the temperature of the room, and the weather outside, and the time, and the date.

_July 21st..._

He thinks it automatically. He isn't sure how he knows, but he _knows_. It's something to do with this new eye of his. He can't help but be in awe of what it's capable of.

"So, how is it? Functioning properly, I hope?" Andonuts asks him.

He nods silently in response, still unable to form words.

"That's great! It's not poking or prodding at you anywhere, right? Because if it is you need to tell me so I can fix it."

He focuses and shakes his head. There's nothing poking him. It just stings. Really bad, actually.

"Good, good. Now we need to install your arm, okay?"

He nods again, hazily. There's too much information pouring into his brain.

_Dr. Albert Andonuts. Age: 51. Weight: 188 pounds. Height: 5' 4". Origins: Winters. Received his doctorate at age 22. Has a son named Jeff Andonuts. Has a very high level of intelligence. Is skilled at combining animals to make chimeras. Slightly absentminded. Prone to—_

"Luckily we added the port while you were still out," Andonuts says, successfully snapping him out of his trance. "But this will still hurt. We need to connect all of your nerves to the prosthetic, and it tends to be very painful...so once again, please be strong for me."

Now there's a crowd of doctors around him, blocking out the overhead lights. They all smell like blood and bleach, and the scent makes him nauseous. All of their faces are covered with masks, making them seem like complete strangers more than ever. They invade his personal space without a second thought, testing his reflexes and making him move around even though he'd really much rather stay still. Some of them strap his legs down extra tight, while others hold onto his arms and shove his shoulder down so hard he's almost sure it's been dislocated.

"Ready, sir."

Andonuts looks at him for confirmation. He blinks in agreement.

"Go."

Something is shoved into the metal port in his arm, and he _screams_. He can hear whirring sounds and can feel each nerve connecting, clicking into place. It shoots intense bolts of pain right up his arm, and upon reflex he arches his back and cries out, thrashing on the operation table.

It hurts it _hurts_ it hurts it _hurts it hurts it hurts_ stop it _stop it_ stop it stop _it stop it—_

"Sir— _sir_! He's too—"

He wants the pain to go away, he wants it to end _now_. The painkillers have completely worn off so everything is even more intense, and it feels like his entire body is being consumed with fire. He's _burning_ , he's burning and he'll keep on burning until he's just a pile of ashes—

"He's going into shock! Do something!"

"What? Does that really matter?"

"Of course it does! You don't want to anger King P by accidentally killing him, do you?!"

"W-well, no, but—"

"Hold him down, dammit!"

"He's too strong! We should have done the enhancements after the procedure!"

He lashes out and screams until his lungs feel like they're about to burst and his throat about to rip itself apart. The entire table is rocking as he almost tears out of his restraints.

"It's okay! Calm down!" Dr. Andonuts is still there, still trying to encourage him.

But the pain is too much. He can't take it. He just wants it all to end.

_Please, please, just stop..._

Black spots start to dance across his vision. The lights above his head are fading. The people standing around him become blurry outlines. He fights to keep consciousness.

"You're almost done. Just hold on a bit...ong...ay?"

Everything fades to black.

* * *

When he awakens again, the lights are dimmed and the smell of blood is gone. His arm and eye ache, but the unbearable pain has finally disappeared.

He's _alive_.

Someone is stroking his hair reassuringly. Their hands feel soft, gentle. Not like Dr. Andonuts, whose hands are wrinkled with age and careful in their movements.

For some strange reason, he's reminded of chestnut brown hair and caring jade eyes.

Whoever that someone is, they're singing. As he slowly regains focus—his sensors indicate that it's 3:42 AM, July 22nd, weather: rainy—their voice becomes clearer.

" _Step up, Experiment Number One._

_Remember that you're just a tool._

_Now that your alterations are done_

_You will obey our every rule..._ "

And suddenly, everything makes sense.

He is the commander of the Pigmask Army. They had found him and rescued him out of mercy. Now his only purpose is to serve their great King P. He was experimented on and modified to support the army in their plans to change the world for the better. Without them, he would have died. He's grateful to them for saving his life, and will devote the rest of it to faithfully obey King P and follow orders with respect and dignity. They decided to make him a commander because they need somebody young and skilled to pull the Needles, and he is capable of doing so because he has very special powers known as PSI. But he is only allowed to use this gift when ordered to. They also gave him a special arm that could transform into a cannon. It serves as an outlet to gather PSI energy and unleash it in powerful attacks that can destroy his enemies. His eye is also mechanical, and it allows him to target opponents.

He is special. He is their ace. He is the commander. He will never disobey them.

He has no family or friends. He doesn't need them, anyway. The Pigmask Army is his sole purpose now.

And as the woman above him continues to sing, he forms an automatic response in his head, like a code that has been implanted there.

_I am Experiment Number One._

_My body is made of a machine._

_Now that my modifications are done_

_I will eliminate every human being._


	6. Like

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -sweats-  
> -sWEATS FURIOUSLY-
> 
> W-w-well...  
> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I'm actually very nervous about posting this chapter, ahhah...but since people have been asking me to write twincest, I've gone ahead and done that.
> 
> This chapter is, by far, my favorite! It's also the longest chapter I've ever written (11,000 words and 33 pages!). I could probably take this and make it into a separate story with multiple chapters it's so long. But...I wrote it for this, so here we have it!
> 
>  **WARNING:** This chapter contains twincest. If you don't like that kind of thing, please, please don't read it, okay? Just skip this chapter and wait for the next one. Don't start flaming me because twincest grosses you out. Do everyone a favor and keep your hate to yourself, alright~? It's really mild and mostly fluff, but if you want to keep away from that, here you go. Another thing to watch out for is language, because Claus has a potty mouth and doesn't have a filter, especially concerning his inner thoughts. This chapter's got a neat balance between angst and fluff, so I really hope you enjoy that!
> 
> This chappy was tons of fun to write, especially concerning Claus' diary entries...the ending might be a little rushed since by the end I just wanted to wrap it up quickly, so sorry about that! There was actually even more I wanted to add to this chapter...but that was too much effort for me, sigh. Maybe I'll have a "Deleted Scenes" chapter where I toss in all my extra ideas!
> 
> Okay, then, roll the chappy! I hope you all have a lovely, romantic day~!

Theme: Like

_January 31st_

_Dear diary...oh, hell no. Screw that. I'm not some ditzy teenage girl who writes about her cute boy crush in a diary._

_I'm going to call this a journal, because diaries are for girls. And maybe Duster. I dunno, he seems like the type of guy to keep one. I don't judge, though._

_I honestly didn't even think I'd end up getting this thing, let alone write in it. But as soon as Lucas saw it sitting out at Thomas' Bazaar, he bought it without a second thought and gave it to me. He told me if I wrote in it, it might help me come to terms with everything that's happened. Ha! As if writing about all the shit I went through is going to make me feel better. No, I don't need this as a sort of therapy. Lucas can be really blind sometimes. The only thing I need to be happy is him. Doesn't he see that?_

_Well, whatever. He looks ecstatic that I'm writing in this dumb thing, so I'll do it, just to please him. But I'll never let him read it. Despite all the crap I've spouted, this thing is personal and I don't want anyone snooping around, even if it's my baby brother._

_Gotta go. Lucas wants to visit the graveyard. I won't let him go by himself._

_-Claus_

_February 1st_

_Well, here we go again. Writing. In this journal. I'm still not used to it. But once again Lucas looks like he's the happiest kid in the whole world, so I'm not complaining._

_We hung out with the usual gang today. It's strange how all of us have come together. Kumatora and Duster were Lucas' friends since I wasn't around to meet them, and Fuel and I have always been closer than him and Lucas have. I wouldn't want him being closer to Lucas, anyway. Nobody should be allowed to be that close to him except for me._

_As I was saying, now we're all one big happy family, as Fuel put it. I can't disagree with him. Ever since I came back, the five of us have grown friendlier and closer. We're at that level of comfort around each other now where we don't regard each other as "Lucas' friends" or "Claus' friend". I guess it makes sense, in a way. And having everyone around more often has definitely made life cheerier, especially when it comes to Fuel. That guy is just a bundle of joy, let me tell you. Those old happy boxes can't match the happiness Fuel can bring when he tries. I hate to admit it, but...he's a good friend. My best friend, actually. Not counting Lucas, of course. Fuel's great, but compared to him Lucas is on an entirely different level._

_Speaking of which..._

_Ah, crap. Gotta go. Lucas just called me over for dinner. His cooking gets better every day, I swear._

_-Claus_

_February 2nd_

_There's going to be a big dance in Tazmily. It's a festival of sorts. I forgot that they do this every year. I missed the last one since I didn't come back until after that whole event._

_Each and every year the citizens throw a huge party. They decorate the whole town with trees and pretty lights, not to mention the streamers_ everywhere _. There's tons of mini contests and games and shit like that. But of course the biggest event of the entire day is the dance. It usually starts early in the evening and goes past midnight...for the adults, anyway. And the Tazmily tradition is that girls ask boys to be their dance partners. Guess what that means? Somebody's gonna ask Lucas to the dance, and I'm gonna have to watch him say yes. I'll have to watch him get all dressed up, and watch him walk with her arm in arm to the dance hall, and stand in the corner and watch him dance with her. All. Night. Long._

_The thought of it makes me want to throw a blanket over my head and wait until it's all over._

_Well, I guess there's no hiding it anymore, huh?_

_What a fucking sinner I am. Not that this makes a huge difference. I've killed people before, burned settlements to the ground and watched. This just adds more to the ever-growing list of all the crimes I've committed in my lifetime._

_That's right. I'm in love with my brother. Disgusting, huh? To think that, after all we've been through, I could just be satisfied with how things are and move on with my life. But nope. I just_ had _to go and do the stupidest, most taboo thing known to man and fall head over heels in love with Lucas._

_Honestly? I don't give a shit about what happens to me after this. I'm already going to hell, so why fight it? It's not like I'll ever tell him anyway. I'll just keep this secret locked away where nobody can ever find it. Speaking of which, as soon as I fill out the pages of this journal, I'm probably gonna burn it. Because knowing Kumatora, she'll take it when I'm not looking and read the entire thing. Damn, I should just put a lock on it now and make sure Lucas doesn't tell her I have it at all. She can be very persuasive when it comes to getting what she wants. Especially when she uses her fists. Ugh._

_But back to Lucas._

_I'm not that surprised that I feel this way, actually. It probably goes back farther than I think it does. I was really protective of him as a child. Who knows, maybe my feelings started growing way back then. It's not hard to believe when I really think about it. We've always been close, closer than normal twins should be. My feelings just grew a step farther than that._

_Lucas...he's my everything. He's my reason for existence. Without him, I probably wouldn't be here. When I think of how my life would be without Lucas in it, everything,_ everything _loses meaning. There's just no way I can live without him. He saved me. And if I ever have to be apart from him again, I'll..._

_That's why it's so hard. I want him to be happy, but I don't want him to be happy with anyone else but me. My jealousy has turned into something ugly. Sometimes I have a difficult time controlling it. It's just, when I imagine Lucas slow dancing with some other girl, his warm hands sliding down her waist, his icy blue eyes looking at her and her alone..._

_My chest hurts. Dammit._

_I wish I could do something about this, but I wouldn't dare tell Lucas how I feel. I'd risk losing him forever if I did that. Being just brothers? That's fine. But him running away, refusing to ever see me again because of my disturbing obsession with him? Not okay. I wouldn't be able to handle it. I won't lie; I'll probably kill myself if that happens. I've been through enough shit already, and without Lucas I have nothing else to live for. My friends mean a lot to me, but Lucas is my entire world._

_Ha. I'm really, really pathetic. My whole existence depends on one person. How sad is that? I sound like some whiny damsel in distress. I guess I am one._

_Geez. Lucas told me writing in this thing would make me feel better. Now I just feel worse. Like shit. My head is pounding._

_I'm gonna go take a nap._

_-Claus_

_February 4th_

_It's happened._

_Lucas got asked to the dance._

_I don't know what to do. For the last couple days, I've tried to keep us inside and away from any girls who would try to take him from me. But Lucas is really thick headed sometimes, so he didn't understand my desperation and dragged me out into town to go grocery shopping._

_Guess who was there?_

_Nana._

_She's a sweet girl. Really talkative, but sweet. I can't say I hate her. Lucas seems to like her a lot, too. He told me that, while I was missing, he'd talk to her occasionally. I guess they're more acquainted with each other than I thought. Which is bad. Very, very bad._

_She approached us while Lucas was picking out fruit and asked if she could talk to him alone. He shot me a knowing look before the two of them moved away a little._

_But Nana forgot to take into account that I have enhanced hearing. So I could pick up every word of their conversation._

_I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe I should have stayed out of it. Maybe if I had, my chest wouldn't feel like it's about to rip itself apart from heartbreak._

_Nana asked Lucas to the dance. Lucas said yes._

_And Pork can she talk. She rambled on and on about how nervous she was about the entire thing, and how she was so happy Lucas accepted, and_ should we go shopping together so we can make sure my dress and your suit matches? _God, just take a knife and stab it into my face._

_We went home after that. Lucas, being perceptive only when I don't want him to, noticed that I was on the edge of bursting into tears and begging him not to go with her. He asked me what was wrong. I asked him if he went to the dance with her last year. He told me no._

_Apparently, for the past three years (the three years I was dead, mind you) all the girls had been too afraid to ask him, since he wasn't the same since I died. They didn't want to upset him in any way, so they'd avoided asking him out of courtesy and kindness. Lucas told me he still went to the dances with the rest of our gang. That cheered me up a little. At least he didn't go with a date those last few years and had time to fall in love with some random girl I don't know._

_I asked Lucas if he liked Nana. In the way I like him, I mean. He turned bright red. I almost kissed him right then and there, but I managed to restrain myself. Not that that was the first time I've had to. Anyway, he got super flustered and adorable, and told me he only saw her as a friend. I almost toppled over I was so relieved. That's one less thing to worry about._

_But there's still the topic of the dance. The dance with a girl. Nana. Lucas dancing with a girl, with Nana, at the dance, and not me._

_How the hell am I supposed to last through the night without tearing her head off?_

_Luckily, nobody has asked me to the dance yet, and I really hope it stays that way. I'd be too distracted to act like the suave and handsome guy I am in front of my lady._

_...Wait, no. Not_ my _lady. I don't want a lady. I want Lucas. Only him._

_My plan is to stay as far away from the village as possible until the night of the dance. Then I'll make my grand entrance, sweep Lucas off his feet and proceed to kiss him into oblivion._

_Pfft. If only things could happen that way. This isn't a fairy tale—no, that's not even a fairy tale's ending, is it? There's no such thing as a bedtime story that ends with two brothers falling in love and living happily ever after._

_I wish there was, though._

_Lucas is going shopping with Nana. I'd better go along and make sure she doesn't try to put the moves on him. But I need to be subtle. I can't openly go with them, I might get asked to the dance that way. I'll have to sneak around._

_Let's just hope Lucas doesn't realize I'm following him._

_-Claus_

_February 5th_

_He found out._

_I guess it isn't that hard to tell, with a bond like ours. That and he can sense my PSI from miles away. I would've been better off staying at home. But what else could I do?_

_It's so, so,_ so _hard to stay hidden when Nana is gushing about her ball gown and how perfect they're going to look together on the dance floor. I almost shot her I was so pissed. But that would require me transforming my arm into cannon mode, and...it tends to get quite loud during that whole process. Not that it would've mattered. I still got caught, anyway. But at least I got caught for tailing them instead of "accidentally" killing Lucas' dance partner._

_Holy Pork, I'm starting to sound like the old me. That's not good. I guess he rubbed off on me more than I thought._

_Fucking Commander. If I could, I'd kick his ass. I don't care if we're the same person, he deserves it._

_When Lucas found out I'd been following him, he...well, I wouldn't say he yelled at me. He's too nice for that, and he loves me too much to get really angry with me._

_Heh. If only he loved me more. Like the way I love him._

_Lucas got...stern with me, I guess you could say. He asked me why I didn't just come with them in the first place. I told him I didn't want to interrupt. He decided to drag me along with him and Nana to pick out their wear for the dance. Since I'm going too (I have to be there to watch over them, duh) Lucas insisted we get matching suits. Nana looked really put off. It was hilarious. Almost worth getting caught._

_Lucas really likes to flaunt the fact that we're twins. Maybe he just likes showing me off as a way of admiration, I dunno. But he always tries to make sure we match when we go to big events like this. Even as kids he'd told Mom while out shopping to_ get the striped ones, Mom, I can have the one with red and yellow and Claus can have the one with blue and yellow. We'll match! _When I was a kid I hated the fact that Lucas tried to copy me or make us look more the same. Now? Now I find it to be the most goddamn adorable thing ever._

_It really is a shame that we're brothers. Because if we weren't related, I'd already be pinning him to the nearest wall and running my tongue—_

_Okay. Okay, wow, I'm gonna scribble that part out now. Forget I ever wrote it._

_For Porky's sake, I'm a helpless cause. This is getting to be really, really dangerous._

_But, since when do I give a shit? I've always ran headfirst into trouble, no matter what the situation. I guess I really haven't changed that much. I talk less and don't emote as often, but I'm still a reckless moron._

_Oh, boy. Imagine if old man Wes heard me say that. Duster would probably cry. He's heard enough of that term in his lifetime. Hell, he's probably gonna hear it more. Kumatora loves calling him a moron too, but only when it's appropriate. Wes? He calls Duster a moron whenever he gets the chance. I can't help but feel kinda bad for the guy. I mean, I know Wes is a good father, otherwise Duster wouldn't have turned out the way he did. He really is a nice person. But sometimes I think Wes is a jerk._

_Well, at least that's better than ignoring your kid for three years._

_Lucas told me about Dad. To say I was angry was an understatement. I mean, how could he do that? True, he was searching for me, but he could have at least paid some attention to his remaining child. Just maybe._

_Dad's great. Really. He taught me tons of things, and he was a role model. But sometimes he's really stupid. He's the type of person who, when he sets his mind on something, becomes completely blind to everything else around him. Kinda like me. Heh._

_I wonder how he and Mom would react if I told them how I feel?_

_Maybe they'd send me to hell. March me straight to the gates and toss me in. I wouldn't be surprised if they did._

_Though, maybe they already know about it?_

_When I was gone...it's really hard to explain what happened. I was with Mom. Boney and Dad were there after a while, too, but...I can't remember. My head starts hurting and my vision gets all fuzzy. I guess that's what happens when you try to recall your brief afterlife. I wasn't meant to come back, but I did. I'm not gonna tempt the fates by trying to remember what happened up there. Or down there. Whichever works._

_Oh, boy. Lucas is going to try on his suit again. I'd better go help him._

_And not because he looks really hot wearing that thing, it's because he sucks at putting it on. That's all!_

_-Claus_

_February 7th_

_The dance is in three days._

_Already, everyone has started putting up decorations and spending their money on fancy gowns and tuxedos. That's certainly something that's changed since the last time I went to the festival. There's money involved now, and our technology has improved. So now the dresses are poofier and the suits are cleaner. The dance hall has expanded. I snuck a peek at it yesterday. It's huge compared to last time. Glossy floors and giant marble columns that stretch to the painted ceiling, where a huge chandelier hangs._

_I hate to say it, but I think the villagers have adopted Porky's awful taste. I guess after spending a few months in New Pork his gaudy style inspired them or something. It makes me want to hurl._

_But, all in all, the dance hall doesn't look too bad. There's a little stage up front. The DCMC is going to come and play some songs. Oh, speaking of which! I forgot to mention, Kumatora asked Duster to the dance. She was really embarrassed and punched him probably fifteen times, but he accepted. He's going as her date, but he agreed to play a couple songs with the band when they need him to (but, he requested to stay with Kuma for the slow dances, the sly dog). On top of that, Fuel got asked too, by a girl named Angie. She's a brunette. Kinda bossy, but nice enough. Her mom makes all of those delicious pastries Lucas and I like to buy on Sundays. I vaguely remember playing with her when we were younger. We boys would always get too rough, though, so she got smart and stayed out of our business. I think she's always had a thing for Fuel, but he's too goddamn oblivious to notice. He's such a blockhead sometimes. Well, at least he agreed to escort her. Maybe he'll realize her feelings for him._

_I can't say the same for me, though._

_As each day passes, I'm getting more and more uneasy. I'm getting more frustrated, too. Lucas has noticed how restless I'm acting, but he hasn't said anything yet. He probably thinks I'm nervous about not getting asked to the dance. As if I give a shit about that. Why else would I avoid every single teenage girl living in our village like the plague? Not that there's too many of them left now, anyway. Kuma's out, and so is Angie and Nana. I think Alle asked Nichol, so that leaves...Richie, I believe. Hopefully I can keep out of her way for the next three days. It shouldn't be too hard...right?_

_But knowing my luck, she'll come banging down our door asking for me. I'll have to dive out the back window if that happens. I dunno._

_Time for bed. One good thing about living alone with your brother is that nobody questions or even knows about your sleeping arrangements. Honestly, I think going to bed is my favorite time of day. You know why? Because I get to sleep with Lucas. Cuddled up to my most important person in the entire world. And, usually, he cuddles back. It's great._

_Lucas thinks I can't sleep without him because I'll have nightmares. Well, that isn't necessarily untrue, since they've definitely been happening less and less ever since we started sleeping in the same bed, but...it's pretty much a huge excuse. I just want to be closer to him. And doing this? It's probably the closest I'm going to get. It's actually a bit of a challenge sometimes, keeping my hands off of him. Sometimes, while we're lying together, our legs entwined just like we used to do as kids, my nose buried in his hair, I get lost in my fantasies of what I want to do to him. I want to kiss him. I want to hear him whisper my name in the darkness and make him writhe underneath me. I want to feel him squeeze me tight and cry out in passion and I want to make love to him until we can't breathe and—_

Holy fucking shit.

 _...I_ really _need to stop this. This journal is going to be burned before the end of the month, no arguments. I don't care if Lucas gets upset, this has gone way too far. Writing in this thing was supposed to help me, right? Wrong. It's making me want him even more, which I didn't think was even possible. All of the emotions and secrets I've kept bottled up keep spilling out onto the pages of this stupid,_ stupid _diary—journal! Dammit!_

_It probably all seems like lust, but it's not. It's so much more than that. I love Lucas with my heart and soul, with everything that I am. I really don't know how to describe it without sounding really, really sappy. But...he makes me happy. He brings out emotions in me that I didn't even know I have. He's the only person that can make me feel like I'm floating on clouds one minute and scared to death the next. Only he has that type of effect on me. I can't imagine a life without him in it. He's my soulmate; my other half. He completes me. I don't know if he can say the same when it comes to me, but I hope he thinks that way too._

_So, it's pretty easy to understand why I love him so much, and why I want him so much. And why I get so angry and jealous whenever I think of what's going to happen in three days._

_Shit. I can't...I can't let this happen. I have to do something. Maybe I can fake being sick and have Lucas stay home to take care of me...but, dammit! That would mean he can't go celebrate the festival. I don't want him to miss out on the fun because of my selfishness. There has to be some other way that I can get those two apart, otherwise my heart won't be able to take it._

_Good luck to me, I guess._

_-Claus_

_February 9th_

_When I said I was thinking about faking being sick, I didn't mean_ actually _getting sick._

_I'm so tired. I guess it's just exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion, to be more precise. I've been dealing with too much stress and worry lately that it's taken a heavy toll on my health. Just great._

_At least Lucas is taking care of me._

_He's acting so much like Mom it's ridiculous. He's turned into a mother hen, fretting about our bed, replacing my washcloth and constantly refilling my water glass. He won't stop asking if I'm okay. He acts normal, but I'm not stupid. I can see right through him._

_He's scared. He's scared he's going to lose me again. What an idiot. A little tiredness isn't going to kill me, baby brother. I just need sleep._

_Maybe if I go to sleep now, I won't wake up until after the dance. That would be awesome. I wouldn't have to freak out about it anymore._

_But I've never been that lucky. I doubt I'll start getting lucky now._

_Lucas is watching me while I write. I'm just waiting for him to ask me what I'm writing about, but he hasn't said anything. I guess he respects my space. He's a curious person, but he'd never go looking in this thing if I don't want him to. That's definitely one of the many things I love about him._

_I could go on for days when it comes to things I love about Lucas. I could fill up hundreds of journals with them. It'd be so easy._

_Oh Pork, I sound like a lovesick girl. I've sunk lower than hell itself. I'm honestly considering just hitting my head so hard I'll get memory loss and forget about this whole problem._

_Then again, I'd make Lucas cry if I did that. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's seeing him cry. Even when we were little and I teased him endlessly, I never meant to make him upset enough to cry. But Lucas has always cried easily, that's why everyone called him a crybaby when we were younger. Now, though...he doesn't cry as much. He's stronger. More independent._

_He doesn't really need his brother to look out for him anymore._

_If there's anything that scares the shit out of me, it's that. The fear that Lucas doesn't need me anymore, that he's strong enough to stand on his own. I know that's immensely selfish and sick of me. I want him to be dependent on me, I want him to need me. I want his existence to depend entirely on mine, just like mine depends on his. But...that's terribly, terribly selfish. I know it is._

_Lucas is definitely strong enough to stand on his own two feet. But I'm not._

_And now, with the dance coming up in less than twenty-four hours, I feel like he's slipping through my fingers even more._

_I'm going to lose him._ I'm going to lose him.

_I..._

_-Claus_

_February 10th_

_It's time. There's a chance I might not come back and write in this. I'll probably burn it later tonight. But for now...I'll keep it in my pocket. Despite what I've said before, this journal really has helped me. It's kinda become an anchor of sorts. So...I'm going to hold on to it. Just for tonight._

_We're going to pick Nana up now. Lucas has flowers for her. He looks so handsome I almost want to cry. I feel like I'm being forced to let him go by allowing this. But there's no going back. Depending on what happens tonight, a part of me won't ever be the same, I think. My heart's about to explode from the tension. I feel like I'm being stabbed repeatedly in the gut. The fact that I know I can't really do much about it makes it even worse._

_Well, it's do or die._

_Here goes. Wish me luck._

_-Claus_

* * *

The air was pleasantly frigid as a set of three figures made their way into town. Winter still clung to the edges of the village, decorating the ground with a thin layer of frost.

Claus inhaled deeply and reveled in the coolness that soothed his lungs. The night was young and slightly chilly—at least, to the human chimera it was. Lucas was visibly shivering while Nana had turned into a popsicle. She was only wearing a short rose pink dress and a tiny white sweater, after all. Her legs were uncovered and exposed to the night air.

Lucas seemed to pick up on his date's obvious discomfort and began to remove his coat. But all he wore underneath was a red button-up shirt and a tie. Definitely not enough to keep him from freezing.

Claus sighed and placed a hand on his twin's shoulder, effectively slowing him to a halt. Lucas gave him a curious look before Claus removed his own jacket and gracelessly tossed it to Nana. She caught it, fumbling, and looked at him with confusion.

"Claus?"

Claus tapped his chest and grinned crookedly. "Internal heating system, remember?"

Lucas' eyes lit up with understanding. He shrugged his coat back on while Nana slid her thin arms into Claus'. It was black with light blue pinstripes. Lucas' was the same, but his pinstripes were red. They'd ended up matching after all.

"Oh, look!" Lucas pointed ahead, brimming with excitement. Claus followed his gaze and he whistled softly at the sight ahead.

Tazmily had been completely decked out in decorations. Lights hung from all of the buildings, illuminating the path with a soft yellow glow. Garland was carefully situated and hung from doors and railings, giving off a pleasant flowery scent. And of course there were streamers too, because what would a festival be without those? All in all it was a stunning sight, and they hadn't even arrived at the dance hall yet.

Lucas turned to Nana with a shy smile and offered his arm. "Shall we?"

The blonde girl giggled and took it eagerly, pressing up close against Lucas' side. Claus barely managed to withhold a pained whimper.

"Okay."

The two set off down the path, conversing with each other lightheartedly. Claus trailed behind them slowly, beginning to regret coming with them in the first place. They were acting like a cute young couple already, and it made him feel nauseous. Part of him wanted to run home and hide in his room for the next century, but he knew there was no escape now.

After walking for a short while in the chilly air, they reached the entrance to the dance hall. A flower arch marked the beginning of the pathway into the building, and it was decorated with lights. Lucas and Nana stepped under the archway, laughing merrily. They followed the red carpet into the building, not checking to make sure Claus was following.

Claus sighed heavily and started down the carpet, memories from years ago tugging at the corners of his mind. He'd walked down a red carpet like this one once, back when he was the commander. It was right after Lucas, Kumatora, Duster and Boney had defeated the Barrier Trio. He'd beaten them to the Needle after making his grand entrance to the scene. He smiled bitterly at the memory.

There was no escaping his past. There didn't seem to be much of a future for him, either.

When he reached the door, he was blasted with loud music. The dance was in full swing by the sounds of it. Claus slipped into the building and blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting to the dim light. The chandelier's lights had been turned down, and darkness had descended inside the hall. He could already see the fancy multicolored lights going off from the stage towards the other end, and the excited screams of fans as the DCMC prepared for their performance. As of right now, it seemed as though there was just a DJ playing music. Claus hummed in surprise when he recognized an ex-Pigmask—the DJ who played at all the parties Porky threw, to be more exact. No wonder the audience was going wild; this guy was always good at picking music.

Claus wandered farther in, waving half-heartedly to anyone who said hello. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. His eyes scanned the crowd of people for any sign of his brother. He hadn't kept track of where Lucas had gone, and it wasn't easy to spot him amongst a sea of moving bodies. Claus wondered if Kumatora, Duster and Fuel were already here. They probably were, since the twins had been slightly late in picking up Nana, therefore late to the start of the dance.

Claus made a beeline for the snack table. This table was going to be his best friend, and it would be where he'd remain for the rest of the night. He'd drown out his sorrows in the punch and hope it was spiked so that way he'd get drunk and pass out. He was awful at holding his liquor, after all.

And if that didn't work, he could always ask Kumatora for some. She always seemed to have a stash of alcohol hidden away somewhere.

The chimera found a chair and promptly sat down before grabbing the nearest bowl of food—ah, pork chips—and shoving them into his mouth.

He hated this. He really, really did.

Barely two minutes passed before a black and brown blur came flying into him.

"Claus! What're you doing sitting down? It's a party! Get up and dance, have some fun!"

"Fuel," Claus groaned, cleaning the chip crumbs off of his pants. His eyes flitted over to Angie, who was standing behind his best friend. She looked pretty in a light blue dress with ruffles around the edges.

Claus waved to her in greeting. "Hey, Angie."

Angie smiled at him, some of her curled brown hair falling across her bare shoulders. "Hi, Claus. You look good."

Claus huffed and smirked. "Thanks. You're not too bad looking yourself."

"Hey, _hey_ ," Fuel cut in, puffing out his cheeks. He was in a plain black suit, but it fit his body quite nicely. "Don't go stealing my date!"

Angie flushed at Fuel's obvious show of protection. Claus only grinned wider.

"Don't worry," he teased. "She's already quite smitten with you, anyway."

Angie opened her mouth and sputtered, beyond embarrassed. Fuel only laughed and turned to her, eyes bright.

"Wanna dance?" He asked, holding out a hand. The brunette girl smiled and took it gratefully.

"Sure!"

Claus was internally congratulating Angie's success when Fuel called out to him.

"Claus!"

The redhead regarded him curiously.

"I'd better see you on the dance floor tonight or I _swear_ ," Fuel threatened before escorting Angie into the middle of the crowd.

Claus watched them go for a moment before sighing.

_You make it sound easy, Fuel._

He'd never really liked these dances, not even as a kid. He'd always stubbornly refuse to partake in the dancing, saying it was dumb and stupid. Even so, his mother would never fail to get him out there, breathless with laughter as he'd spin around in circles with his brother.

But things were different now. Hinawa was dead. And Lucas already had somebody to dance with.

Without anything else to do, Claus shoved his hand back into the chip bowl and proceeded to stuff his face before he started crying out of frustration.

"Hey, ginger!"

Claus inwardly cursed his luck as a hand came smacking down onto his shoulder. The chimera released a strange cry, almost choking on his food. He was surprised his shoulder was still in tact after that and not horribly dislocated.

Kumatora sucked at controlling her strength. Either that or she used it all full force on him anyway.

"Hi, Claus," Duster came up from behind her, smiling nervously. His hair was smoothed back, complimenting his dark blue suit. He looked very stylish. He seemed to be jittery as well, probably due to the oncoming performance or the fact that he had Tazmily's most violent woman as his date.

"H...hey," Claus managed to say, thumping his chest a couple of times.

"What the hell are you doing over here sitting by yourself? Where's Lucas?" Kumatora asked him.

Claus gave her a once-over and blinked appreciatively. She wore a deep crimson dress that reached her ankles. It was snug and showed off her curves. It was simplistic in design—he couldn't imagine her wearing something with frills or lace—but she definitely pulled it off. Her hair was pinned back into a tiny bun, and she wore sparkly earrings and a small gold pendant around her neck.

He couldn't deny it; she looked good. Duster was a lucky man.

At the mention of Lucas, he looked away and flinched.

"Ah, he's...with his date. I figured I'd just..." He trailed off, unable to find any words.

Kumatora made a disappointed face at him. "Seriously? Just because he has a girl to entertain doesn't mean you have to avoid him all night. Pork, you're such a moron."

Claus rolled his eyes, saying nothing. Duster gave him a sympathetic look.

The pinkette sighed heavily, shaking her head at him. "Well, whatever. You can be an idiot and sulk here all night, or maybe you can learn to live a little, your choice." She turned to Duster, who straightened his posture immediately.

"Let's go. I want to get some dances in before you get snatched by your band members," she demanded, grabbing Duster's hand and dragging him away. The older man gave Claus a departing wave before they disappeared.

Claus scowled and crossed his arms. Why did everyone insist on poking around his business? If we wanted to sit in the corner and eat all night, he should be able to.

He was about to reach for the punch before he was interrupted again. He growled lowly in frustration. Why was it that he was so popular tonight?

"Hey, Claus! You look nice."

Claus perked up in surprise when a young brunette girl approached him.

_Richie..._

She sure did look pretty. Her hair, usually tied up in twin pigtails, was straightened and down, cascading down her back. She wore a pale orange dress; it reached her knees and had flower designs imprinted along the edges, and lace underneath. There was a faint touch of make up to her face, highlighting her light brown eyes and cheekbones. She was quite a sight to behold.

"Where have you been all week? I..." She paused, blushing a little. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting. "Well, I kind of wanted to ask you to the dance, but..." She shrugged and laughed awkwardly.

Claus gave her an apologetic smile.

 _So I was right,_ he thought in mild panic, _Richie_ did _want to ask me to the dance. Shit._

"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I, uh...kinda got sick, so I wasn't out of the house for very long." Well, that was kind of true. He was only sick for a day, but she didn't need to know that.

The girl's eyes flared in alarm. "Oh! Are you okay? Are you feeling better?"

Claus couldn't help but smile a little at her sincere concern. "Yeah, I'm okay. Otherwise I wouldn't be here, right?"

Richie relaxed at his inviting expression and casual posture. She smiled back at him. "Yeah."

She opened her mouth to say more, but she was cut off by the tapping of a microphone. Claus looked towards the stage, where the ex-Pigmask was clearing his throat.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," he began, "The highlight of the night, the thing you've all been waiting for..."

Somebody in the crowd whooped excitedly.

"The DCMC are almost ready to perform!"

Everyone cheered excitedly. The DCMC were the most famous (and only) band on the entire island. Their talent was too amazing for words.

"But before that, I'm gonna play one last slow song for all you couples out there. So guys, grab your girl and get on the dance floor! Show her how to have a good time!"

Claus started sweating.

"So...a slow song, huh?" Richie hummed quietly, looking nervous.

The song began to play. It was a sweet, soft melody that flowed throughout the building. The crowd was already beginning to shift; couples were now spinning slowly around the hall, swaying in time to the music.

Claus was losing his ability to breathe.

"Um, so..." Richie tugged at her dress, cheeks bright red.

Claus felt like passing out.

"Claus, will you...uh...will you p-please dance with me?"

Claus almost punched the punch bowl.

In the middle of the crowd, two teenagers had been revealed to him. Their laughter rung clearly in the air as they gracefully waltzed together.

Nana's blonde hair flew about as Lucas twirled her around, his smile wide with joy. Nana faltered and stumbled right into the PSI user's arms, who steadied her carefully with strong arms and a worried grin. Their faces were inches apart.

Claus was going to throw up.

"C...Claus?" Richie squeaked, tugging on his sleeve. The redhead jumped, hand twitching near the button to change his arm into cannon mode. As soon as he realized what was going on, he forced himself to relax, slowly drawing his hand away from his arm. That wouldn't be good. His suit wasn't accustomed to wild transformations, and it was expensive. He didn't want to accidentally rip it.

Not to mention, he didn't want to end up hurting an innocent person because he couldn't control his jealousy.

He inhaled before releasing his breath heavily. He looked at Richie, who was unsure of how to react regarding his strange behavior. Maybe dancing with her wouldn't be too awful. It would definitely be a good distraction to the searing pain in his chest.

Heartbreak was a real bitch.

"Sure," he finally answered, standing up and offering her a gentlemanly arm.

Richie beamed before looping her arm around his. She looked excited and somewhat bashful as Claus walked them towards the edges of the crowd.

He stopped, looking down at her. "Is right here okay?"

Richie nodded.

Claus removed his arm and situated his hands the correct way. This wasn't the first time he'd had to dance with a girl. He fondly recalled the lessons his mother had taught him years ago, his hands neatly sliding into place from memory. Richie placed a hand on his shoulder while his curled around her waist. The brunette flushed crimson and shot him a shy smile.

They began to sway in time to the music. Richie carefully placed her feet with each step, not wanting to accidentally squash his own. Soon enough they were twirling seamlessly. Claus was internally grateful for all of the data that had been downloaded into his system concerning dance. Even though he'd never used it during his time as the commander (since he'd usually stand in the corner and make sure the parties didn't get too out of hand with narrowed eyes and an equipped cannon) it was certainly coming in handy now. He led Richie in the dance flawlessly.

Richie laughed as he spun her around and dipped her gently. Claus couldn't help but release a good-natured chuckle.

...Yeah. Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

"Lucas?"

Lucas blinked and looked at Nana, who was scanning his face worriedly.

"Are you okay? You...kind of stopped moving," she pointed out their standing position. Everyone around them continued to spin around slowly.

The blonde boy flushed in embarrassment. He released a timid chuckle before once again leading their dance. Nana glided with him easily, used to his dancing pattern by now.

"What's wrong? You seem really distracted," the girl spoke up, her hand squeezing his.

Lucas smiled softly. "I'm fine. I was actually looking for Claus." He looked around again, biting his lip. "I haven't seen him since we came in."

"Yeah...I still have to give him his coat back, too," Nana added, looking down at the black jacket engulfing her small frame. She hadn't realized how broad Claus' shoulders had become.

"I just..." Lucas trailed off when he spotted a couple dancing several yards away. His jaw dropped in shock when he realized it was Claus and Richie.

Nana followed his gaze and gasped. "Oh, there he is! And...he's dancing with Richie?"

Lucas felt something strange stir in his chest. He unconsciously gripped Nana's hand tighter. "Apparently," he mumbled.

Nana noticed his hold on her had become more constricting, but she didn't comment.

"Richie did say she wanted to ask him to the dance, but she couldn't find him anywhere. He sure does like to stay cooped up at home more often now, huh?" She observed lightly.

"Yeah," Lucas murmured. The strange feeling in his chest only grew stronger. "He doesn't like going anywhere, unless it's with me."

Nana looked up into his icy blue eyes and frowned. They were focused solely on Claus and Richie, following their every movement.

"You two sure are close," she said quietly.

Lucas jumped and turned to her, eyes wide with shock. After staring at her for what seemed like an eternity, he forced himself to relax.

"Yeah," he whispered, his voice strained with emotion. He looked like he was going to cry. "We are."

A girlish shriek of laughter interrupted their moment. The pair watched as Claus spun Richie around in circles before dipping her. His face was unusually bright with energy, sincere chuckles escaping him as Richie flailed in his arms. Her face was flushed.

"Ouch!"

Lucas released Nana with a gasp when he realized he'd squeezed her too hard.

"I'm sorry!" He squeaked, gaze flitting over her nervously. "I didn't mean—"

Nana removed Claus' jacket and handed it to him, smiling in understanding.

"It's okay," she said sweetly. "Obviously there's something going on between you two, so much that it's distracting you. Go on. I can wait here."

Lucas flushed a bit, wondering just how much she knew. "But..."

"Brothers shouldn't fight," Nana said, crossing her arms. "Come on, Lucas. Go tell Claus you're sorry so you can stop worrying yourself over it."

Lucas breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. "Right. Thanks, Nana."

"Hurry back," she said. "You don't want to miss the DCMC perform, right?"

"I will!" Lucas called out over his shoulder before running off into the crowd.

Nana watched him go, rubbing her arms.

"Richie sure is lucky," she said to herself. "Claus looks really good tonight. But then again...Lucas does too."

* * *

"I thought you were going to drop me!"

Claus snorted as he helped Richie steady herself.

"Come on. Do I look like the type of guy to drop my date?"

Richie blushed furiously at his subconscious mention of her being his "date".

"Well, I don't know. When we were younger you might have," she teased, leaning in closer. Claus didn't notice.

"Hey! I wasn't _that_ bad," he protested, huffing.

Richie giggled and reached up to brush a stray strand of orange hair out of his eyes. Claus flinched in surprise.

"Oh, sorry," the girl whispered, biting her lower lip.

"'S okay," Claus shrugged, an uncomfortable churning having begun in his stomach. She was close. Way, _way_ too close.

"Um...Claus?" Richie asked, her voice unnaturally high. She looked extremely nervous.

"I was wondering...well, the thing is—"

"Claus!"

Claus was grateful for the intervention and almost jumped away from the stammering brunette girl. He almost regretted the action for standing in front of him was none other than his brother, the object of his undying affection.

 _He's probably come to tell me that he and Nana are dating now,_ the chimera thought sourly.

He was about to open his mouth to (sarcastically) congratulate Lucas when he noticed how upset his brother looked.

Claus immediately went into worried mode.

"Lucas? You okay?" He asked, stepping over to his twin. Lucas shook his head back and forth.

"I need to talk to you," he murmured, shaking. Claus frowned and searched the blonde's gaze. He seemed shy and closed off, a lot like how he was when they were younger. Claus couldn't read him when he was acting like this.

"Okay," he finally answered. "We can go outside, then. You can put my coat on."

Lucas stared down at the jacket in his arms and nodded eventually. "Alright."

After slipping Claus' coat on (which proved to be a little difficult, since they were practically the same build and Lucas already had his coat on underneath) the twins made their way towards the entrance of the building. Claus waved a hasty goodbye to Richie, who looked extremely disappointed.

The roars of the crowd lingered as they stepped outside. The night was still cold, but Claus' inner systems were running smoothly and Lucas had three layers on, so they were fine.

"You came at a great time. I think she was going to confess to me," Claus joked half-heartedly.

Lucas' lips trembled. He started to sink, lowering himself into a crouching position. Claus followed him down, eyes widening in alarm.

"Lucas? Hey, whatsa matter? Are you sick?" Claus lifted a hand and began to gently rub his twin's back. Lucas shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Lucas broke it, his voice soft and scared.

"I...I'm sorry," he said, refusing to look at Claus.

The redhead looked confused. "What for?"

Lucas' fingers curled into a fist around the frosty grass below them. His hands started getting wet.

"I'm so selfish," he finally admitted, shaking his head. "I...I should be happy with the way things are now, right? I should be grateful that you're back, and not want more out of it. I shouldn't risk breaking us apart over something so stupid."

"Lucas..." Claus could feel his blood racing through his veins. "I don't...understand. What are you talking about?"

Lucas sniffed. His eyes began to well with tears. Claus cursed himself inwardly.

 _Way to go, genius! You just_ had _to open your big stupid mouth!_

"I'm s-sorry," Lucas blubbered. "I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"Pork, Lucas," Claus breathed, rubbing his brother's shoulders frantically, "what on earth for?"

"I-I-I'm awful! So awful..." Lucas sobbed, wiping at his face. Claus released a low whine of worry before enveloping his twin in an embrace.

Lucas cried into his shoulder, wet fingers desperately clutching at his back. Claus held him then, nuzzling into his hair, wondering what could possibly be wrong but also secretly wishing the moment could last forever. Lucas was so warm, and he was in Claus' arms, and Claus didn't ever want to let him go, never...

But all things have to come to an end, and so did their fierce hug. Lucas pulled away and Claus let him, not wanting to cling any further, to fall any harder.

"Now will you _please_ tell me what's bugging you so much?" Claus asked, caressing the top of the blonde's head.

Lucas blushed and shook his head. "I...it's dumb."

Claus deadpanned. "Lucas."

"No," the shorter twin argued, looking away. "It's...it's really dumb. Please..."

Claus frowned and glared at him. The blonde squeaked and seemed to shrink under his intense gaze.

"You know I'm not going to let this go, right? I'll bother you all night about it if I have to," Claus declared stubbornly.

Lucas sighed in defeat. "Yeah. I know."

Claus raised an eyebrow at him. "Well?"

Lucas inhaled shakily and patted his wet cheeks a couple of times. "You...you'll hate me." His voice cracked.

"Oh, come on," Claus rolled his eyes. "I could never hate you, Lucas. You're...you're my _brother_ , for Pork's sake." His voice dropped to a low whisper.

Lucas swallowed. He was sweating in the cool night air.

"That's the thing, though," he croaked. He looked terrified. "I don't..."

Claus held his breath.

"...When Nana asked me to the dance," he said, changing the subject, "I...I wanted to say no. I really did. Because...because there was somebody else I wanted to go with."

The human chimera's eyes widened. Pain and fear gripped his heart, making him feel lightheaded. He wasn't sure if he could listen to any more of this.

Did Lucas like somebody else in the village?

The thought of it made him want to curl in on himself. His chest hurt. He wanted to scream.

"But I went with her anyway," Lucas continued, softly. "I thought...I thought if I went with her, I could forget about...the person I liked. Because it's wrong. I shouldn't like them that way, I sh-shouldn't..." He began to tremble.

"Lucas," Claus rasped. He could barely breathe. It felt like he was being choked. "Who...do you like?"

Lucas looked away, breathing rapidly. He didn't answer.

"Do you like girls?"

Lucas shook his head.

Claus blinked. Huh. "Do you like boys?"

Lucas paused in thought before shaking his head again.

"Who do you like, then?!" Claus was confused. If Lucas didn't like girls _or_ boys, then...

"I say that because," Lucas gulped. "There's only one person I've ever liked. I'll never like anyone else, so...I don't like boys, or girls, I just like this person. Th-that's all."

"Who is it?" Claus asked softly. "Lu, please..." The anticipation was killing him.

Lucas released a strangled sob. It was now or never.

Claus awaited with bated breath.

"It's you..."

The chimera froze.

Lucas hid his face in his hands and weeped quietly. "I-it's you, Claus..."

Claus couldn't respond. He couldn't find the words.

He felt as if a whole bunch of fireworks had been set off inside his body, sending pleasurable sparks shooting everywhere, even to the tips of his fingers. The world that had come crashing down suddenly lifted and revealed an endless night sky with bright stars and galaxies, glowing, swirling, and Lucas liked him, Lucas loved him, Lucas _loved_ him! He almost couldn't believe it. If this was a dream, he never ever wanted to wake up.

Lucas was unaware of his overflowing joy and cried harder, his shoulders shaking violently.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed. "I-I'm so disgusting, falling in love with my own b-brother...I even tried to forget, b-but I can't! I just love you so m-much and..." He hiccuped.

"Please don't...don't hate me...I'm sorry! I...I promise I won't say anything about this ever a-again, we can just forget it ever ha—"

Claus gently pulled Lucas' hands away from his face. The blonde stopped crying and looked at him fearfully, confusion flickering in his eyes when he realized there was nothing but warmth and happiness in Claus' expression.

"Here," the redhead said, pulling his journal out of his back pocket and handing it to the shorter teen.

Lucas sniffed. "Your diary?"

" _Journal_ ," Claus corrected gruffly.

Lucas couldn't find it in himself to laugh. Instead, he looked at the book with a lost appearance.

"Read it," Claus instructed.

Lucas studied him quietly for a moment before flipping it open to the first page.

The two of them sat in silence for a while. The only sounds that could be heard was faint music coming from inside the building and the occasional croak of a frog. The stars glittered above their heads. Their breaths formed soft white puffs of air, but Claus wasn't cold. The happiness glowing in his chest kept him warm. He wondered if Lucas felt the same.

Claus started when Lucas' breath hitched. He watched in fascination and slight worry as the blonde's eyes filled with tears once more. How long had it been since Lucas cried this much? It surely had been a while.

"Cla...you..." The boy swallowed, looking at him with desperate and hopeful blue eyes. "You...you mean it? Really?" His fingers traced over the pages of the journal, lingering on those life-changing words, _That's right. I'm in love with my brother._ Could it really be true that Claus felt the same?

"Of course, you idiot," Claus huffed. "I wouldn't lie to you. Definitely not about this."

Lucas choked back a grateful whimper, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. He met Claus' loving gaze and almost fell apart at the seams, his heart beating wildly.

"You caused me a lot of heartbreak when you said yes to Nana, you know," Claus murmured, hesitantly leaning forward to brush a few tears away from his twin's face. Lucas leaned in to his touch eagerly, relishing in the contact.

"I-I'm sorry," he said again, releasing a watery chuckle. "It was a dumb idea."

"No kidding," the redhead snorted. "Why...why didn't you just tell me?"

Lucas bit his lip shyly. "I...I was scared. I d-didn't know how you'd react, and I was afraid...if you knew, you'd leave me." He trembled. "I don't want you to leave me, Claus."

"Lu," Claus breathed, eyes softening. He pulled his sibling into another embrace, rubbing his cheek against Lucas' affectionately.

"I don't want you to leave _me_ , Lucas."

"No! I'd never...I'd never ever leave you...! I love you—I want to stay by your side forever..."

Claus pulled away and laughed, his eyes bright with pure joy.

"I love you too," he responded honestly. "And if you'll have me...I'll stay with you always."

"I will," Lucas nodded, smiling widely. "I will. Forever!"

"Good, because I plan on keeping you forever," Claus smirked and leaned in close, placing a loving kiss on his twin's forehead. Lucas giggled, the apples of his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

The music inside suddenly changed, and Claus immediately recognized the low tenor voice of OJ and the familiar strumming of Duster's—rather, Lucky's—bass. During his Commander days the DCMC would play for Porky at least once a week, so their voices and music were easy for him to distinguish. Not that it wasn't hard, they were probably the only band around and their music was quite unique either way.

"A slow song again..." Claus whispered. Normally he'd complain about the amount of slow songs that had been played so far, but this time he was grateful for the opportunity. Besides, he figured they were appealing to all of the couples at the dance.

"Lucas," the chimera stood up quickly, yanking the blonde up to his feet with him, "dance with me."

Lucas squeaked in surprise. "W-wait—really?"

"Yeah, come on," Claus grabbed his hand and positioned the other on Lucas' waist, moving in until their chests were touching. "It'll be fun."

Lucas swallowed unsurely. "But...we're both guys. How is this going to work?"

"I'll lead and you follow," the redhead suggested.

"Aw, what? Why do you get to lead? That means I have to dance the girl's part."

Claus stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Just deal with it. I want to be as close to you as I can right now."

Lucas flushed and, without any further arguments, slowly let Claus lead him in their waltz.

They spun slowly, unsurely, their steps careful and their eyes focused on where they were putting their feet. But after a while they were gliding, eyes locking and falling into an intense rhythm of movement, unable and unwilling to look away. Everything else seemed insignificant in that moment. The sky dulled and the music faded into the background, and all they could pay attention to was how the other was glowing, the center of each other's universe.

"Claus..."

"Hmm?"

"Stop spinning...I'm dizzy."

Claus paused and gazed at this blonde, his expression uncharacteristically soft. "We have...I think."

Lucas looked down at their feet and blinked. They had stopped moving.

"Lucas?"

Lucas looked up and blushed beautifully when he realized how close the redhead was.

"Is..." Claus breathed in sharply, "is this okay?"

The younger twin found he couldn't respond and simply nodded, breathless with anticipation. Claus leaned in hesitantly and closed the distance between them.

The kiss was fleeting and purely innocent, neither one of them wanting to push the boundaries any further than that. But Lucas knew he felt warm, warmer than he ever had, and his heart was practically singing as Claus pulled away, their lips parting with a soft smack.

"Mmm," the chimera hummed, feeling like he'd been walking on clouds. "You taste good."

Lucas licked his lips and frowned thoughtfully. "You taste...salty."

Claus looked at him for a moment before chuckling. "I _was_ eating pork chips."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh with him, finding his humor to be contagious.

Claus lapsed into thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. Lucas watched him with an inquiring gaze. Suddenly, the taller twin's eyes widened in slight terror, the grip on Lucas tightening.

"What? What is it?" Lucas asked, alarmed.

"Lu," Claus whispered harshly, "please tell me...that was your first, right?"

Lucas appeared to be utterly confused before he understood. Rolling his eyes fondly, he patted Claus' cheek.

"Of course. If I had my first kiss I would've told you, silly. And besides, who would I have kissed, anyway?"

Claus sighed in relief, putting a hand over his chest.

"Thank Pork. I don't know what I would've done if it wasn't."

"And what about you?" Lucas murmured, slightly nervous.

"Yeah. As if I'd let anyone steal my first besides you," Claus huffed.

"Claus..."

"What?"

"How long...have you loved me?"

Claus smiled and smoothed Lucas' hair back.

"Since we were born," he stated obviously. "I think you meant to ask how long have I been _in love_ with you."

Lucas puffed out his cheeks, angry. "Yeah, whatever!"

The human chimera laughed and grinned cheekily. Then his expression turned serious once more.

"Probably a while," he admitted softly. "I can't exactly remember when I started to. I think it might even go back to when we were kids. But I do know that I've never felt this way about anyone else." His cheeks flushed abruptly. "...Actually, that's not entirely true. But Mal wasn't even human, so..."

Lucas' breath hitched and he regarded his twin with dismay. "W...what?"

Claus waved it off before he could start panicking. "You remember Marshmallow, right? She was a robot Dr. Andonuts created to serve Porky and guard his toy room. Well, occasionally I'd go to her whenever I had breaks, and she'd serve me tea. I guess you could say I had...inklings? Stirrings? _Whatever_ —they were the start of some sort of feelings for her, but I knew that was impossible since she wasn't even capable of expressing emotion, and back then I wasn't really that much of a sentimental guy, either. It was more of an attachment than anything, I guess. I didn't really have time to think about it more since she was destroyed during Thunder Tower's collapse."

Lucas immediately cringed. "Ah...about that, um..."

Claus smiled knowingly. "It's okay. I know. You were just trying to protect yourself. She was pretty good at using her weapons, after all. And besides, she was just a robot. Dr. A could've probably repaired her if I asked him to, but I was too busy chasing after you to even come up with the idea."

Lucas glanced away shyly at this.

"Now that I think about it...back then, I think I started developing something for you, too. I didn't even know who you were, and yet, I was falling for you all over again, despite the fact that you were my enemy..."

Lucas blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Claus shrugged sheepishly. "My heart never lies. Those bastards may have altered my memory, but they couldn't change my feelings."

Lucas shook his head in disbelief. "I just can't imagine you having feelings for me back then. You were so...stoic and silent all the time."

"Hey! I just didn't like talking, alright? That was more to do with the brainwashing than anything. They made me to be an unfeeling human weapon. Back then my actions spoke much louder than my words."

"Yeah, like that one time you came waltzing down that red carpet like you were some kind of celebrity," Lucas teased.

"I practically was one," Claus retorted haughtily.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, still holding on to each other. Lucas unconsciously rested his head against Claus' shoulder, the older twin tracing patterns across his back slowly, comfortably.

"So...what now?" Lucas finally spoke up, his voice escaping him in a soft whisper.

"What do you mean?"

Lucas pulled back, making Claus whine in protest. The blonde smiled at him affectionately.

"I mean, the dance. Nana...and Richie."

Claus immediately winced in understanding.

"We can't exactly tell them, can we?"

The chimera shook his head. "No. They can't find out."

"What about Kuma and the others?"

Claus sighed. "Well, that'll be a little more tough. I guess...we should test them to see if they're open to the idea, and if they are, we tell them."

"And if they aren't...?"

Claus made a determined face. "We run away."

Lucas gawked in surprise. "Wh—what? Run away? But..."

"I know it'll be hard," Claus murmured, gently stroking the shorter teen's cheek, "But if they can't accept it, we'll have to leave. It's the only way."

Lucas shook his head weakly. "You're right, but...I don't know. I have a feeling they'll be okay with it..."

"Guess we'll just have to see, then."

"Yeah..."

Claus looked towards the building, eyes narrowing in thought. He turned to Lucas with a questioning gaze.

"Do you want to go back?"

Lucas shuffled his feet.

"Not really," he admitted, looking guilty. "But I don't want to just ditch Nana, that would be so rude..."

"Well, then," Claus hummed, "why don't you just tell her I'm feeling ill and that you're going to take me home? Have Duster or Fuel escort her back."

Lucas sighed. "Okay. I still feel bad, though..."

Claus gently steered him in the direction of the entrance, but not before he whispered mischievously into his ear, "Hurry back, Lu."

Lucas shivered and nodded before he rushed inside.

* * *

The rest of the evening went smoothly, at least from the twins' perspective. They held hands on the way home, their bodies within close proximity. The air around them seemed to vibrate with excitement the closer they got to home. Neither could believe that the other felt the same way. Their hearts were aflutter with joy and anticipation at what the future would bring.

As soon as they were through the door, Claus swept Lucas up into an intimate hug, happily rubbing his cheek against the blonde's and almost purring with joy.

Lucas giggled and nuzzled against Claus' face, blue eyes bright with adoration.

"You're affectionate all of a sudden," he commented, squeaking when Claus placed a loving smooch on his forehead.

"How can I not be?" Claus snorted. He looked more lively than he'd been in years. "Now that I know how you feel about me...I don't have to hold myself back anymore. I don't think I can, anyway." His eyes darkened a little. A small flush spread across his cheeks. "I can't keep my hands off of you."

Lucas blushed at this too; it was a cute pink that reached the tips of his ears. Even so, he didn't look away from his twin's fervent gaze. He felt like he was drowning in the intensity of Claus' jade green eye, almost as if he looked hard enough he could see into the depths of the forest there. Claus, meanwhile, was falling into the ocean sky of Lucas' icy blue eyes. He wasn't sure whether to swim or to fly, but he knew he didn't really have to worry about either. It was Lucas, so it was okay if he got caught between the two.

"Lucas," Claus whispered, flushing a darker shade of red. "I..."

"What is it?" The blonde murmured, reaching out and tucking a strand of orange hair behind Claus' ear. The chimera shivered at this.

"Can I..." He swallowed. "Can I kiss you?"

Lucas' pupils dilated. His heart began to flutter madly in his chest.

"You don't have to ask," he answered, smiling as Claus eagerly leaned closer. "Of course you can."

And once again, Claus closed the gap and clumsily pressed his lips to Lucas'. It was short-lived but immensely sweet, almost like their first.

The older twin pulled away, a dreamy look on his face that Lucas couldn't help but laugh at.

"What? Was it bad?" Claus frowned.

"No, no," Lucas giggled. "You're just so cute."

Claus scowled and blushed fiercely, his gaze darting away.

"I'm tired," Lucas murmured, nuzzling into Claus' neck. "Carry me to bed?"

"Ugh, do I have to do everything for you?" Claus complained, but it lacked any real heat. "Alright, alright. But you're getting undressed yourself."

He picked up the blonde with ease, chuckling as Lucas squeaked and clung to him as he escorted them both to the bedroom.

* * *

_February 14th_

_It's Valentines Day. Ever since the dance I've felt like I've been walking in a haze...a happy, bright, dreamy haze. And I don't think I ever want to get out of it._

_I still can't believe Lucas confessed. I mean...just what are the chances? And lately he's definitely gotten more cuddly with me. A part of me still wonders if it's all just been an elaborate dream. But when he smiles and leans over to kiss me (Pork, I still get nervous when he does that!) I know that it's real._

_I'm not really sure what we have planned for today, but whatever it is, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I finally have everything I've ever wanted. The rest of these entries will surely sound sappy, but I'm beyond giving a crap. I'm happy. That's something, isn't it?_

_We still haven't told the others about our relationship yet. They've started to notice that we've become even more close than usual, but they haven't said anything so far. This is part of our plan; we're going to start doing more, ah...couple things around them to get them used to the idea._

_The future is uncertain, but...as long as Lucas is with me, I think we'll make it through okay._

_It's what we've always done, right?_

_-Claus_


	7. Freak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOLOL I have no excuses. I haven't updated this since February, and I'm really sorry about that. But last night I sat down and finally finished this god damn chapter, so...here.
> 
> I had the majority of this written since March, maybe? It was just finishing it that was the hard part. Forgive me TTmTT Of course, I did say that I'd upload these whenever I want and that there's no set schedule, but I really didn't want to leave this hanging for months...oh well.
> 
> So! This chapter's an interesting one! It's another angst-fluff combination, my favorite type to write 0w0 So yes, your favorite brotherly fluff makes its return once again...
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! Roll the chappy!

Theme: Freak

Claus fought the oncoming nausea that was building up in the pit of his stomach. It had been a constant feeling since he left home—not too prominent, but enough to make him swallow it down every so often. Someone squeezed his hand, a relaxing gesture, and Claus exhaled quietly through his nose. Right. He could do this.

He couldn't do this.

"You need to stop being so tense," Lucas murmured from his place beside him, blue eyes shimmering with worry. Claus pressed his lips together and said nothing, eyes stubbornly focusing ahead.

The blonde sighed and stroked Claus' hand with the pad of his thumb, trying his very best to comfort the uptight redhead. The task ahead of them wouldn't be easy, but it was something they absolutely had to do. Well, that's how Lucas liked to view it, anyway. Claus was extremely reluctant about taking on this mission of theirs.

"Ah, look!" Lucas leaned towards the window of the vehicle they were sitting in, looking out and up towards the sky. "They've gotten this much done already..."

Claus decided to take a chance and peek at the approaching city as well, scowling when he saw the all too familiar landmarks he'd spent nearly three years around.

Leaning back into his seat but not relinquishing the hold his twin had on his hand, the human chimera sighed bitterly. When the request came for the two of them to take a trip and check on the progress of the rebuilding of New Pork—Lucas because he was the hero of the Nowhere Islands and Claus because of his previous Commander status—he'd immediately declined, not wanting to relive his days as Porky's slave in that awful nightmare of a city. However the Pigmasks and other people who were working hard to restore the destroyed metropolis to its former glory respected them and wanted nothing more than to hear their opinion of the progress so far.

 _Why couldn't they have just asked the adults?_ Claus thought miserably. He already knew the answer to that question, of course—the adults from Tazmily hardly knew anything about technology before it was abruptly introduced to them, so they didn't really have much say in what happened. Claus, on the other hand, had lived there for three years, so he knew the ups and downs of the city. Not only that, but many of the Pigmasks still viewed him as their Commander, and back then nothing was done until he gave the say-so. It was an involuntary habit for them to ask for his permission, he supposed. As for Lucas, well, everyone admired him, so to get his input about the construction would mean everything to the people who were hungry for praise.

That still didn't mean Claus had to like it, though.

He really didn't want to go. That city was where everything began and ended for him. He didn't want to think about the bright neon lights and the awful smells and the cheap artificially flavored meals and the _noise_. So much noise. People crying and screaming and laughing and talking, music blaring, engines humming. And he most certainly did not want to remember the specific sounds that had escaped his brother's mouth when he violently attacked him deep underneath Porky's building. The memories started to form in his head and he shook them away, not wanting to recall anything of that night, not ever again. He was alive now and no longer the emotionless machine he'd once been. He was Claus. Not anybody else.

And dammit he didn't want to go back to the place he hated the most!

"Hey," Lucas settled beside him again, and Claus noticed the hold on his hand had tightened considerably. He regarded his brother with a curious look.

"You're, uh..." Lucas paused, tugging at his scarf nervously with his free hand, "you're not going to...run away again, are you?"

Claus' jade eye narrowed, slightly confused, and then he remembered. On the day of their birthday when they'd run into an ex-Pigmask who now had a peaceful life in Tazmily, Claus had gotten frustrated and ran off. New Pork would be swarming with previous members of the army, and Claus never liked talking to them too much. It was awkward and uncomfortable to still be addressed as the commander, which was inevitable now concerning their current situation.

He flicked Lucas' forehead, and the blonde whined.

"No, stupid," Claus answered, squeezing his twin's hand reassuringly.

Lucas smiled a little, looking relieved. A part of him was still wary, however. "Promise?"

Claus nodded without any hesitation. "I promise. No matter what happens...I won't leave your side."

The blonde's cheeks flushed, and his eyes glittered with happiness. "Okay," he squeaked out, beyond pleased.

Claus broke eye contact and looked out the window again, anxiety bubbling up within him once more when he noticed they were much closer than before. The city's most important landmark, the Empire Pork Building, stretched into the sky—not as tall as it had been three years ago, but it was getting there. He vaguely wondered if all of the floors had been recreated as they were or if they served another purpose now. The people of the city didn't really have the need for a Hippo Launcher room anymore, right?

With their current level of technology and the amount of army members left behind, Claus was positive that they could have reformed the broken city practically overnight if they really wanted to. That was almost how it happened three years ago, anyway. But this time the ex-Pigmasks weren't under any pressure, so they were taking it easy. It was nice not to have Porky breathing down their necks about building his utopia.

Claus' eyes scanned the rest of the city, recalling memories of his inspections of each place: the arcade, the theater, restaurant, the amusement park...a shudder crept through him. He really hated that place. Too many screaming and crying children, the clash of sweet and salty scents that messed with his enhanced sense of smell, and the visual overload of colors with bright flashing lights and signs everywhere, flooding his sight and giving him migraines like no other. He was sure that, as a child, he would have greatly enjoyed such a place—but becoming the commander put things into new perspective, and somewhere like that just overwhelmed his senses to the point where he just wanted to shut everything out. Hopefully they wouldn't have to physically go there to give their opinions, and if they did, Claus would leave everything up to Lucas.

Something bumped into his shoulder and he relaxed against it, knowing it was his twin that was leaning on him for support.

"Hey," Lucas whispered, his voice calming along with the soft humming of the limo's engine, "I'm right here with you, okay? This is going to be hard for me too."

Claus puffed out a breath. Right. He wasn't the only one who had worries about coming back to this place. He was sure Lucas hated it as much as he did, maybe even more. He was the one who had to go through the ridiculousness of Porky's tower, after all. Not to mention all of the chimeras and robots the evil bastard had sent after him. At the mere thought of Porky attacking his precious sibling, Claus growled lowly in his throat, trying not to see red. It was difficult.

"Claus," Lucas squeezed his hand again, soothing him immediately.

"Sorry," the redhead murmured. "I'm alright. As long as you stay right here with me...I'll be just fine."

Lucas smiled again, a brilliant one that was like the sun. "Me too."

Suddenly the car pulled to a stop, and with a slight jerking motion, both of the twins looked to the front, a bit apprehensive. The engine turned off and they sat in silence for a couple moments, waiting, and then the car door was pulled open from beside them.

"I apologize for the abrupt stop, sirs. But we have arrived at our destination. Please exit the car and watch your step."

Claus stole a glance at Lucas, raising a curious eyebrow, before rising out of his seat and stepping out into the sunshine. Lucas followed right behind him, lifting a hand to shield his eyes. The over polite limo driver gave them a respective nod and left, probably off to park in the city garage.

The human chimera gave the area a sweep over, scanning the premises and checking for any signs of life. The looming skyscrapers that had been so far away came to greet them, towering over their heads and providing some much-appreciated shade for the brothers. There were people busy working in the distance, calling out to each other in urgent voices. Claus' enhanced senses could pick up the sounds of music blaring from the amusement park, a cacophony of noise that ranged from human sounds to those of fast-working machinery. His nose was flooded by the sickly sweet scent of cotton candy and funnel cake and the contrasting salty smell of popcorn and hamburgers. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, his stomach doing uncomfortable flips. Already the nauseous feeling returned, and not just from being back in this awful atmosphere.

Lucas grabbed his hand out of nowhere, his breath hitching, when a person dressed in a Pigmask suit approached them. Claus immediately shifted in front of his twin, holding back from baring his teeth in a threatening snarl. What the hell was going on? Pigmasks were a thing of the past; why was this person wearing a suit?

"Oh! Commander, sir!" The man squeaked, quickly removing his piggy helmet. "I'm so sorry, I know this probably brings up bad memories! But these suits are actually quite resistant, sir, to any harmful injuries that can be gained while working in construction, so you understand the need for us to wear them, you see..."

Claus blinked at this and slowly but surely began to relax. That's right, even the suit he'd worn during his Commander days was a little more resistant to attacks than normal clothes, and the helmet helped against head injuries as well.

"Anyway, welcome back, sir! And to you too, sir!" The man nodded to Lucas, who shot him a hesitant smile in return.

"Well, um, right this way! We'll be taking a quick tour around the city. Feel free to give your opinions on the things you see! We'd be happy to change anything you ask of, sir!" He addressed Claus, who simply grunted in acknowledgement. The man squealed before quickly turning around and marching forward. Claus began to follow, Lucas stepping into place beside him.

"He seems so afraid of you," the blonde chuckled quietly, watching with amusement as the ex-Pigmask started blabbing on about their progress over the past three years with a nervous air.

Claus only gave a soft hum in response.

The shorter twin rose an eyebrow and smirked a little. "Well, I guess it makes sense. Right now you're not acting much different than the commander would have."

Immediately Claus' head whipped around to face him, his mouth open in protest. Lucas laughed and gently pinched his brother's cheek, watching as the redhead's offended expression turned into one of surprise.

The ex-Pigmask paused in his rambunctious speech to watch the pair, curiosity shining in his brown eyes.

"Sh—shtop that! Lucash!" Claus whined, smacking his twin's hand away from his cheek, which was now pink from embarrassment. Lucas only giggled harder, blue eyes bright with merriment.

"It's so nice to see you two getting along so well," the man commented unthinkingly. The twins looked in his direction, eyebrows raised in slight surprise. The man's cheeks turned bright pink to match with Claus' earlier color and he leapt up, hands flying to cover his mouth. An unmanly squeal escaped his lips.

"O-o-oh my goodness, I'm so—please excuse my rudeness, Commander, sir— _sirs_ —"

Lucas relaxed and gave the male a smile before he had a nervous breakdown. (Just what did Claus do to terrify these men so badly? It was more than just his rank that intimidated them, that Lucas was sure of.)

"It's okay," he soothed. "Thank you."

"Um...eheheh," the man chuckled, sweat beading at his temple. "P-please follow me, then..."

And with that the trio set off once more, becoming further immersed in the concrete jungle of New Pork.

Claus obstinately refused to actually inspect the new changes to the city, instead choosing to keep his narrowed jade eye trained on the ex-Pigmask in front of them. Lucas was sure the poor man could feel Claus' icy cold stare, for every once in a while he'd release a soft squeal of anxiousness.

Lucas decided he'd take a chance to look around, and discovered that everything was coming along quite well. It no longer looked like a toy box had been dumped onto the premises—while Porky had the buildings designed to appear like they'd leapt out of a children's storybook, the buildings now were normal colors and did not have bright flashing neon signs like they did three years prior. Still, the architecture retained its unique and diverse structure, much to the blonde's surprise and pleasure. That was one thing he actually admired about the city—that it was so culturally different and still managed to blend together so well. He had to hand it to the designers and architects; they'd done well in the rebuilding project.

Another thing he soon came to notice as they trekked along was that there were many more useful and practical places that had popped up while they were gone. Along with the theater and arcade that Porky had established, there was a bank, a hotel, a grocery store, and several restaurants scattered about. There even seemed to be houses and apartments at the edge of the city. With a glance to his far left the blonde spotted a construction site. It was only in the beginning stages, so he couldn't be sure of what it was supposed to turn into.

The ex-Pigmask stopped in his hurried explanation of the city's water pipes ( _Was that really necessary to mention?_ Lucas wondered) and observed what the young hero had been staring at.

"O-oh, yes! That's going to be the new school! "New Pork Elementary"! You see, many of us army members started up families after we were abandoned here by our King, and many of them have started to produce children...so the reconstruction committee decided to add a school in order to further all of the children's education!"

"Wow," Lucas breathed, visibly impressed. Claus raised an eyebrow from next to him, not speaking. Even so he couldn't hide the pleased expression that flashed across his face for a brief moment.

"That's really great! I'm so glad you guys are putting so much thought into this," the blonde complimented, chuckling when the man's cheeks flushed in humble embarrassment from the praise.

"W-well, of course, sir! We only want what's best for our citizens...since Master Porky is no longer with us, we must do our very best to support each other and make better lives for ourselves now that the army has disbanded."

"Right! You have a new purpose! That's so nice," Lucas agreed, blue eyes bright with joy.

"Th-thank you, sir...you're so very kind..." The man said dreamily. Claus simply huffed in response and started walking off, secretly curious as to what else the city contained.

"Claus! Wait up!" Lucas called out, hurrying after his brother. The ex-Pigmask blinked, snapping out of his trance, and squealed.

"S-sirs! Please don't go off on your own! There's construction activity everywhere—it's very dangerous!" He cried out, watching in dismay as the twins disappeared into an alleyway.

"Oh d-d-dear..." He gulped.

* * *

"Claus! Slow down!"

Claus reluctantly slowed his pace and stood waiting for Lucas to catch up. The blonde finally reached his side and latched onto his arm, panting from exertion.

"I thought you said...you wouldn't leave me..." Lucas mumbled, trying to catch his breath.

Claus' expression softened. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to. That guy was just annoying."

"No he wasn't! He was only trying to be polite and show us around," Lucas pouted slightly.

"I'd much rather explore on my own. Besides, do you know how often I was followed around by guys like that back when I was in the army? I like having the freedom to walk around without being supervised all the time."

Lucas sighed in defeat. Claus always had a good argument, especially when he brought up his Commander days...

"Alright, touché."

He looked around, blue eyes wary. "...So...where to now? I don't even recognize these parts."

Claus hummed and swiveled left and right, his sharp gaze scanning the area. "Me neither. This must be a new section of the city." He pointed ahead to where the alleyway lead back out into the street. "I guess we should start by going this way."

"Alright," Lucas agreed, and together they stepped back into the sunshine.

The blonde surveyed the shops in front of him and smiled upon spotting a quaint cafe among several other clothing and furniture stores.

"They've added a lot," he mused. "They have practically everything someone would need now."

"Heh. Not even Tazmily has a clothing store like that," Claus snorted, gesturing to the extremely extravagant dress shop at the corner.

Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "Are those cocktail dresses?"

Claus eyed him nervously. "I'm surprised you even know the distinction. Who have you been hanging around with...?"

The teen laughed again. "Just because Kumatora seems like a tomboy, she has a girly side too. She mentioned something about them once."

Claus relaxed at this. He didn't even know what he'd been assuming, but he was glad he was wrong.

"Anyway, I wonder where w—"

"Watch out watch out _watch out_!"

Claus managed to pull Lucas aside just in time before being flattened by a rampaging Clayman. A large group of people dressed in Pigmask suits hurriedly chased after the creation, squealing loudly.

"We gave it too much electricity!" One of the Pigmasks offered as an explanation as they ran past. Immediately understanding the situation, Claus started to follow them, a determined look on his face.

Lucas yelped and started dashing after his twin, gasping when he was immersed in the throng of sprinting Pigmasks.

"Claus!" He cried out desperately, losing sight of the redhead amongst the crowd.

His foot seemed to catch, probably on one of the other ex-army member's legs, and he lost his balance, stumbling until he hit the dirt with a grunt.

" _Oomph_!"

By the time he regained his senses, the Pigmask swarm was already far ahead, leaving him in the dust.

Lucas fought back a nervous whimper and stood up. His ankle stung and he hissed, wondering briefly if it had been sprained from the fall.

"Claus..."

He hoped his twin was okay. Did he even notice that Lucas had fallen behind?

Shaking off the pain, Lucas started forward, intent on catching up to his brother before Claus even noticed he was gone.

* * *

Claus pulled ahead of the ex-army members rather quickly; being enhanced for situations like these allowed him to be quite the speedy opponent. Lucas always had trouble keeping up with him during their battles.

Spotting the berserk Clayman ahead, Claus started to roll up his sleeve in preparation for a cannon transformation. He couldn't count the number of times he'd ripped his clothes due to not thinking ahead before he switched modes on his arm.

With alarm Claus realized that the Clayman was headed straight for the new school. Releasing a furious growl, he hit the button on his arm, the machinery whirring and clicking as it changed form. He began charging his cannon up for the shot. He'd told himself that he'd never use his PSI again, but it was too late for that now. People needed his help. He was using his power for good, not for evil. He was doing a favor for society instead of destroying it.

Repeating these words in his head gave him courage, and soon enough his cannon was fully charged and ready. Claus released the pent up energy and watched in fascination as the attack burst into pastel colors and shards, slamming into the Clayman and rendering it motionless before it could reach the construction site. It was always interesting to watch PK Love being used. With enough force and energy it proved to be a powerful attack, bringing destruction and sometimes death with it, yet still managing to sparkle and explode in such beautiful colors.

The Clayman skidded to a stop and promptly collapsed onto the pavement, unable to deal with the sheer power behind the assault. A large hole had been created, slightly to the right of the center of its chest. Even now Claus was still a terrific shot, though he was slightly off due to his impaired eyesight.

The Pigmasks all slowed to a stop, amazement and awe practically radiating off of them. One of them stepped forward to face Claus, looking ready to combust from excitement.

"Comma—"

"Freak!"

Claus' head whipped around, jade eye wide with shock. His gaze fell upon a small boy who was standing next to a petite woman. The boy's expression was twisted into one of disgust and fear, having just witnessed Claus' PSI in action.

"Freak! He's a freak! A freak!" The boy screamed, stomping his foot for emphasis.

The woman next to him gasped audibly and tried to take his hand in order to drag him away. The boy dodged her and pointed a finger at Claus, looking almost hysteric.

"You're a freak! Freak!"

Claus backed away, shaking his head. No...he wasn't. He was just trying to help...

The boy did not relent in his accusations. He continued to goad the poor chimera, almost shouting at him. It was easy to tell he lived a very sheltered life and had no knowledge of Claus' importance to the city or to the stability of the Nowhere Islands. It seemed that not even the woman could control his outbursts.

The Pigmasks around Claus stood there, unsure of what to do. Normally Claus would order them to silence the child by whatever means necessary. But he was no longer the heartless Commander he'd once been. In fact, Claus seemed to be taking these jabbing comments to heart by the look of horror on his face.

"Freak! Freak! _Freeeeaaaak_!"

 _I'm not,_ Claus thought, _I'm not, I'm not. I'm not..._

"Stop this at once," the woman said, looking embarrassed.

"He's a freak, Mom! A total freak!"

"I'm not," Claus whispered. "I'm not, I just..."

"Get out of here, you freak!"

 _Stop it. Stop it._ Stop i—

"Claus!"

Claus inhaled and looked over to see Lucas standing a few yards away. He was covered in dirt and sweat, but the look on his face was nothing but pure relief.

"Claus," Lucas repeated his name, quickly limping over to throw his arms around the redhead. "You're okay!"

"Lucas...?" Claus whispered, surprised. Where had he come from? Hadn't he been with Claus the whole time?

Lucas laughed breathlessly and pulled away. "You ran off so fast, I couldn't keep up with you!"

Claus noticed the way his twin was holding himself and frowned, focusing on the blonde's swollen ankle. "You're hurt..."

Lucas grinned and waved it off. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing!"

"Ew! Why is that boy hugging that freak?"

Lucas' eyes narrowed to slits and he immediately locked gazes with the child, his eyes like chips of ice. "What did you say?"

The boy swallowed, seeming to sense the dangerous undertone in Lucas' voice, but he kept speaking.

"Th-that freak...he did some weird thing and blew up that Clayman. A-and his arm and eye are messed up..." the boy stuttered out.

"Don't call him a freak," Lucas warned, his voice low.

"B...but he is..."

"I can do it too." The blonde stepped towards him, his fingertips sparking with PSI. Claus couldn't see the expression on Lucas' face due to his back being turned, but he noticed the boy's eyes widened and his entire skin palette seemed to wash out, turning pale.

"Y-you're both...freaks..." He trembled.

"Call me what you like," Lucas continued softly. "But don't you _dare_ insult my brother in front of me."

"M-M-Moooom," the child whimpered, tears gathering in his eyes. The woman sighed and grabbed his hand, giving an apologetic nod to Lucas before walking off.

The blonde turned back to Claus with a bright smile. "That was weird. He got so scared all of a sudden. I was only telling him to leave you alone."

"Uh...yeah."

Claus couldn't help but shudder. Just what exactly was Lucas capable of...?

The Pigmasks around Lucas squealed in terror, and without removing their masks Claus could tell they were probably as pale as the boy had been.

Lucas staggered back over to him, wincing whenever he put weight on his injured ankle. Even so his cheerful attitude didn't change.

"Well, whatever! I'm getting kind of tired, so why don't we hurry this up and head home soon?"

"L-Lucas," Claus started unsurely. The blonde regarded him curiously.

"What is it?"

"Uh..."

The taller teen swallowed and looked off to the side, not really knowing what to say. It was so strange to be speechless like this around his twin. They were always comfortable with each other no matter what the situation.

Eventually he cleared his throat. "Your ankle...why not just use Lifeup on it...?"

He knew Lucas was far more talented in the healing department than he was. Part of him wondered why the blonde hadn't thought to use it yet.

Lucas blinked in surprise before releasing a chuckle. "You're right! I was so focused on finding you that I forgot..."

He bent down and quickly cast the spell, humming in satisfaction as the green flow erased his pain.

"There," he breathed, standing back up. "Better. Thanks, Claus."

"...Sure."

Lucas began to walk down the road, Claus tailing him closely. An awkward silence fell upon them. Claus couldn't help but think of the child that was screaming at him earlier. He shook his head quickly, not wanting to relive the memory. Even though it had just happened...the fear and hurt he'd felt in that moment was nearly unbearable. No matter what, he didn't want to seem like a freak to anybody. He didn't want to be a freak, he just wanted to be normal.

"Claus."

The redhead looked up and flinched at the sad look his brother was giving him.

"Claus," Lucas whispered, his eyes pools of understanding. "Listen to me."

The chimera shied away, biting down on his lip. Lucas placed his hands on the teen's shoulders, preventing him from moving any farther.

"Claus," Lucas said his name again, his voice filled with determination. "You are not a freak. Okay?"

Claus squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that. He knew that, but...

"You're an amazing person. You're so strong. You've come so far. You've overcome so many obstacles...and if people think that makes you a freak, they're wrong. That makes you human."

Claus finally met the icy blue of Lucas' eyes. They showed nothing but warmth and appreciation for him, completely opposite to the hateful gaze of the boy from earlier.

"We all make mistakes," Lucas continued. "We all make bad decisions, we all do things we regret. But Claus...you've made up for all of that and more. And despite all of the terrible things you've been through, you're _still here_. You're still alive."

Claus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking. He was trying his very best to hold back tears.

"You mean the world to me," Lucas admitted quietly. "And I'm so glad...I'm so glad you're here."

" _Lu_ ," unable to restrain himself any longer, Claus released a dry sob and buried his head into his twin's shoulder.

"I love you so much." Lucas breathed, gently running his fingers through Claus' orange locks. "And you're not a freak, Claus. You're just human. Remember that."

The teen nodded gratefully, unable to speak because he was so choked up. Lucas shushed him and petted his hair, murmuring words of comfort and reassuring him that he was perfect the way he was.

Claus eventually calmed down. He exhaled quietly and relaxed, breathing in the comforting scent of his twin. A small smile settled on his lips.

_...Thank you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rushed ending is rushed RIP me  
> And wow that kid is super annoying lmao
> 
> Haha I'm not really sure how to feel about this chapter...there's parts of it I like, and other parts of it I don't. I'm pretty torn...
> 
> But wow guys, how about that sort of yandere feel from Lucas, yeah? He's pretty scary. Don't mess with his bro bro or you won't live to see the next day... ;D
> 
> Until next time, my dears! Thanks so much for sticking around and supporting me all this time!


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